Mckinley
by leanaticxoxo
Summary: It's the year 2015, Rachel successfully in New York on Broadway, Finn still back in Lima. When Finn flies out to see one of her shows where Kurt stars alongside, he finds out why she had cut him off all those years ago. A daughter perhaps?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I'm not sure if this is going to just be a part 2 story, a one shot or a story. I've only got the beginning written thus far. Just a little finchel freewrite I suppose :)

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><p>It was December 21st, 2015. Finn had arrived not even a full day ago in New York City to support his step brother Kurt in the production of a new show on Broadway. Kurt had also mentioned to his family that he was working alongside Rachel Berry.<p>

His heart ached whenever someone brought up Rachel's name. He hadn't seen or talked to her in nearly three years. At the end of the summer in 2012, Rachel completely cut him off and he never understood why. Yeah, she had moved out to New York and he stayed back in Lima. He was going to the community college in Lima, working as an assistant to McKinley's football team. Sure, his life was simple, but he missed Rachel and all the mishaps they had.

He took his seat in the front row next to Carole, his step father Burt on the other side of her. His heart started to beat quickly when the lights dimmed. He began to feel like a nervous wreck. "What if she sees me? What will she do?" he began to think. Little did he know, she was already well aware of his presence that evening.

Rachel was in her dressing room when she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in!" she yelled.

Kurt entered, making Rachel smile in the mirror. She spun her chair around to him. "Excited?" she asked, holding her hands together in her lap.

He smiled. "You have no idea. But I actually wanted to tell you, my family flew in, they're here. Front row."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Like, Finn too?"

Kurt nodded. "Of course."

Rachel smiled. "Well, the show must go on!"

"Rachel." Kurt took a seat next to her, gently resting his hand atop of hers. "What happened? You were helplessly in love with him. In Lima, you did whatever it took to be with him."

"Five minutes!" The director yelled from outside the door.

Rachel looked at Kurt, grabbing a picture from the table behind her. "She did."

Kurt's eyes widened. "Are you serious? Wait? You never told him? Are you crazy?"

Rachel looked at him as he continued to speak. "And you couldn't tell me? Why? This little girl, she's a spitting image of both you and Finn and oh god, that's terrible! What about Carole and my dad…."

Rachel cut him off. "You think I haven't thought about all of this?" she practically yelled.

Kurt stopped talking, allowing himself to calm down. She did the same.

"I'm terrified." She whispered.

"He would've helped you." Kurt said quietly.

"I know. That's the thing. I didn't want to force him out here where he truly doesn't want to be. I don't want him to be tied down to me just because of that." She said.

Kurt shook his head. "He loved you. Everything you just said would've been invalid compared to…."

Rachel smiled. "Mckinley."

Kurt smiled back. "I want to see her. I have too."

Rachel smiled and leaned over to hug Kurt. "You will. I'm so glad I told you. I'm going to tell Finn, I can promise you…." She paused. "He's going to be so upset though, she's going to be three in April already and."

Kurt interrupted her. "But then he'll come around. He would be a fool not to."

She smiled. "Thank you."

Kurt stood up, giving her one last hug. "Let's go put on a show!"

She laughed and followed him out. Kurt was the main character so when the show started he went on, and a few minutes later the rest of the cast goes on stage for the number. From backstage, Rachel caught a glimpse of Finn, Carole, Burt and Blaine. Blaine lived in New York as well, though she didn't know that up until a few weeks ago. Her eyes settled on Finn, and her heart fluttered. She had the urge to run out there into his arms. Mckinley looked so much like him and it was so obvious when she looked out at him. Just then it was her cue, and she shook off all her thoughts.

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><p>Finn had been so proud of Kurt, but during the first number when the entire cast came out his eyes were glued to Rachel and only Rachel. She was as beautiful as ever to him and right then he knew he had to find some way to get her back. Whatever mistake caused her to leave him three years ago was not going to determine his future with her.<p>

It wasn't until the finale did he realize Rachel already knew he was there. She stood directly in front of Finn as they bowed, and when she came up again she glanced right at him. She smiled and blew him a kiss, looking as if she were about to cry.

Next to him, his mother took his hand and squeezed it. "Oh Finn." She said with tears in her eyes.

"Mom." Finn said laughing at her as she cried over both Kurt and Rachel's performances.

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><p>Rachel walked backstage smiling to herself. It was a fantastic opening night, and she was extremely happy, but she wanted to cry. She knew things were about to go downhill, but all she wanted to do was find Finn. She knew that wasn't going to happen. She had to go get Mckinley from her babysitter's before midnight, just like every other night she had a show. She changed into street clothes quickly before she heard a knock on the door. She walked over and looked through the hole, smiling.<p>

"Hey!" she said excitedly, opening the door as Elizabeth, her babysitter entered with Mckinley. "I didn't know you guys came here, oh did you enjoy the show?"

"Oh, we didn't see it, only the finale. Fantastic job by the way." Elizabeth said briefly, before explaining that she had to get to the airport which is why she had to drop her off here. Rachel paid her, well, as usual, and she was on her way.

Knowing she didn't have to rush out to get Mckinley was comforting. She sat down and relaxed, taking off makeup, letting her hair down at a slower pace. Just then she heard voices outside her door, followed by a knock.

She walked up to the door looking out to see Kurt, and Finn. She glanced over at Mckinley who was playing with her toys that Elizabeth had brought with her. She opened the door slightly, smiling at Kurt. She knew she couldn't stand to look Finn in the eye.

"Why hello, look who I-" Kurt went to say as Mckinley interrupted.

"Mommy!" Mckinley said, running up behind Rachel's leg.

Kurt's mouth instantly closed as Rachel closed her eyes, biting her bottom lip.

She opened the door further turning around to pick up Mckinley. "Yes dear." She said, kissing her forehead. "I'm right here baby." She said.

She looked up at Finn this time, who stood there wide-eyed and in shock. She knew he was both confused and upset, but he also looked angry.

"Finn…" Rachel said quietly, who refused to come in the room. "Finn, say something." She begged.

Finn shook his head, before glancing at Mckinley. He didn't even have to ask when he looked at the little girl because there was no denying that was his child. She had his eyes, and his mouth. Her mouth like Rachel's, and wavy brown hair, a mix of them both. He then looked at Rachel, who had tears in her eyes.

"Momma, don't cry." Mckinley said.

"Mommy's not." She said, looking at her.

The way they interacted broke Finn's heart. Why hadn't she mentioned this ever to him. He would've been there, he would've helped. He was livid.

Rachel then set Mckinley down. "Go inside, go play with Uncle Kurt." She had been so wrapped up in what had happened, she didn't even realize Kurt had gone around them into the room.

"Come here ya little munchkin!" Kurt said as Mckinley began to laugh.

Rachel smiled back at them, before shutting the door behind her, muffling their voices. There was a quiet silence until Finn broke it.

"How could you do this?" Finn asked. "Three years you cut me off completely, and then out of nowhere here you are again, with _our _child? And it never ever crossed your mind to tell me. I wouldn't have been mad, I would've been there for you!" he yelled.

Rachel's eyes teared up once more. "I wanted to tell you, I was scared…"

"That's not even an excuse." He said. "You ran away from me…"

She cried. "I know. I am so, so, so terribly sorry."

He nodded. "Sorry doesn't even cut it for the last three years I lost in my own daughter's life. Her first word, walk…" he looked bewildered. "How could you?" he repeated.

She sniffed. "I loved you too much. New York is never what you wanted…"

"But it would have been knowing this!" he yelled. "I loved you, Rachel. Since I was fifteen, it was you. You've hurt me before, but this, this is bad."

"I know…" was all she managed to get out through her sobs. "I messed up, bad, and everyday…it got…w-worse." She covered her face. "She looks so much like you, I-i-i…" she started crying uncontrollably.

Finn looked down at her and reluctantly pulled her into him. He hated when she cried, even if this was her fucked up situation. He ran a hand up and down her back, trying to comfort her. "Rachel, don't cry." He said quietly.

As they stood in silence, he rocked her, closing his eyes. He had missed her more than anything.

"I just missed you so much." She said, crying still. "It's been so difficult…"

"Shhhh" he cut her off. "I know. I know it's been, but I'm here now."

"There hasn't been a day where I haven't thought of you. I messed up so badly." She said.

He pulled away slightly, to look at her. He grabbed her chin and kissed her hard on the lips. He was entranced by the kiss. He had missed the way he felt when he kissed her. It felt like everything wrong in the world was gone, at least for that brief moment. He had never felt this way about anyone.

Once he pulled away, he resumed looking in her eyes. He wiped her tears and smiled. "Everything will be fine. We'll figure things out. I just, I can't help but not be angry at you. Rachel, you're still amazing. Even your mistakes, you're still my star." He said.

She smiled, looking up at him. "Please, don't forgive me that easily. I don't deserve it."

He shook his head. "Trust me, I haven't."

"I love you, so much Finn. You have no idea." She said.

"I have an idea." He said. "But, I love you."

They stood in silence for a few more moments before she pulled away. "So, do you want to meet your daughter?"

He nodded, going around her to grab the door handle.

The door opened, and they found Kurt on the ground with Mckinley, reading a book.

Finn smiled and walked up to both of them.

Mckinley looked up at him. "You're tall." She said.

Rachel looked at them, as Kurt stood and Finn kneeled down.

"Late night pizza?" Kurt asked as he approached Rachel.

"Late night pizza." Rachel confirmed, hugging him.

"Blaine and I will go get a table, you guys meet us there soon?" he asked.

Rachel nodded as Kurt exited.

"Momma!" Mckinley yelled, holding up the book.

Rachel got on her knees next to them. "Can we read this later, baby? Do you want to go get pizza?" she asked.

Finn looked at them. He was never an emotional guy but this was getting to him. It was upsetting knowing because of Rachel, he had missed all these interactions.

Mckinley nodded as Rachel grabbed her jacket, boots, gloves and hat. After she was ready, Rachel picked her up and reached out for Finn's hand.

"Mckinley, did you say hi to your guest?" Rachel asked as they walked out of the room onto Broadway.

"Hi." Mckinley said simply. "Look." She said to Finn, showing him her teeth. "I have them all." She said.

"That's awesome!" Finn said before looking at Rachel. "I'm not good at this."

She laughed. "You'll get used to it. Don't be afraid to be you, she won't judge you."

Finn smiled. "Mckinley?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Mckinley said.

Finn laughed. "Sorry, I was talking to your mom."

Rachel looked at him as they walked. "Yeah. It was…fitting."

Finn nodded, changing the subject. "Can I? He motioned to Mckinley.

"Of course!" Rachel said, stopping.

Finn took Mckinley from Rachel's arms and hugged her instantly. "Hey bug." He said. He didn't know why that came out but it felt normal. Everything about this felt abnormally normal. It was almost as if he belonged here, in New York City, with them.

He glanced over and looked at Rachel who was quietly walking forward, her hands now in her coat pockets. He could tell by her face that although she was content, the situation was bothering her. He wanted her to stop worrying about it at least for right now. They'd talk about it later.

Mckinley talked her mouth off to Finn the entire way there. He smiled. There was no doubt she was Rachel's daughter. "….and I can count wanna hear? One. Two. Three…" she began without even waiting for a response.

They entered the pizza parlor and the host immediately recognized her.

"Ah. Miss Berry. Welcome. Mr. Hummel has gotten you a booth right this way."

She greeted the host and followed, Finn and Mckinley behind her. She was acting awkward towards him but he shook it off. She would come around eventually.

Finn set Mckinley in the child seat at the end of the table between him and Rachel. Almost instantly, Rachel took over, taking off her jacket and gloves, giving her a toy from her bag to keep her occupied.

Their meal went normally, they all had a good time, and before they knew it they were paying the bill and heading out.

Once outside they all said their goodbyes and it was then that Finn told Kurt where he was going. Kurt understood and said he would let Carole and Burt know. Kurt and Blaine both kissed Mckinley's head, who was falling asleep in Rachel's arms before heading off in the opposite direction.

Finn and Rachel began to walk towards her apartment. It was an awkward silence until Finn spoke up.

"La Bella Notte." He said, remembering their first trip to New York their junior year.

She smiled. "It always is in New York." Just then she turned to face him.

"Could you please? She's getting so heavy now that she's older. I wish I had remembered the stroller." She said.

"Oh. Yeah. Sure." Finn said, reaching down, gently taking Mckinley into his arms. She was light, but Rachel was tiny. He wondered how she did it all by herself. Then again, it was Rachel Berry and no matter the situation, she always was in control. They walked in silence until they reached her apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I understand this would NEVER happen. The way these characters are portrayed personality wise, this wouldn't even happen, haha but it just was one random idea I decided to actually type out. It's small, just a three part. It was originally only going to be a one shot but it blossomed into a bit more than that. Anyway, feedback is appreciated and encouraged, because I sort of want to know my strengths and weaknesses. I'm not the best writer, but it occupies my time and I actually enjoy it! Enjoy.

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><p>"Do you want to come up?" Rachel asked once they reached the outside of the apartment complex.<p>

"That was sort of my plan." Finn said quietly.

They went up to her twentieth floor penthouse. When he walked through the doors, he looked around in awe. Her penthouse was something out of a romantic comedy. It was simple, yet elegant. Typical Rachel Berry. Rachel caught his face and smiled. "It's something else isn't it?"

Finn nodded.

"This way." Rachel whispered, turning to the left down a small hallway. She turned on a light to what he could assume was Mckinley's room. It had pink walls and was decorated with purple flowers. The carpet was a simple beige color and there were toys scattered around, however they were neatly in place. She slept in a little bed with a princess headboard. Yeah, Rachel definitely decorated this.

Rachel then reached for Mckinley, retrieving her into her arms. "She's about to throw a huge hissy." She noted.

It hurt Finn knowing he didn't know things like this. He knew he shouldn't feel like this, because it wasn't his fault he didn't know, but he felt a streak of guilt anyway. Like a father who abandoned his family. He shook the thought off.

Rachel laid Mckinley down on the bed, and it was then that Mckinley stirred.

Rachel took off her hat, gloves and unzipped her jacket when Mckinley became fully alert.

"We have to get in jammies, baby." Rachel said as Mckinley began to cry.

"Please stop dear, it'll be over quickly and you'll be all tucked in your bed, alright?" she said through Mckinley's cries.

She turned to Finn. "Could you please go in the second drawer down and grab whatever pajama outfit you come across?" she asked desperately as Mckinley's cries got louder as she fussed around.

Finn nodded, grabbing a tiny onesie that had unicorns or horses on it or something. He handed it quickly to Rachel.

"Thank you so much." She said tiredly, as she took off Mckinley's clothes. "She hates being cold, can't you tell?" Mckinley shrieked.

"Mckinley!" Rachel bellowed. "Please, knock it off! You're getting far too old for this!" Rachel said, sounding irritated.

"Rachel, let me." Finn said.

"No, don't worry. It's fine."

"Rachel." He said sternly.

She nodded and stepped away. "Good luck."

"Bug." Finn said. "Mommy is just trying to help. Don't you want to get into comfy clothes and go to sleep?" he asked.

Mckinley didn't say anything, but she stopped fussing enough for him to get his pajamas on her.

Once it was all said and done, he was the one who tucked Mckinley into bed. He then sat on her tiny bed. Rachel smiled at how silly it looked.

"Do you want to hear a story?" Finn asked. Mckinley nodded.

From there, Finn created a whole story in his mind about a field on Ohio, complete with circus animals that went on an adventure. Rachel stood in the doorway, her arms crossed, watching the two interact with each other.

After only about ten minutes, Mckinley was fast asleep once more. Finn leaned over and kissed the tiny girls forehead before standing. "I love you." He said quietly to Mckinley.

Little did he know that in the process, Rachel had begun to cry. He turned around and looked at her as she walked up to the little girl's bed, leaning down to give her a kiss. Without saying a word, she wiped her eyes and left the room.

Finn stood there, not knowing what to do. He leaned over and turned on Mckinley's nightlight and walked out, closing the door halfway behind him. He walked out to the living room, finding Rachel on the sofa, looking out the large window ahead, overlooking part of the city. "You have quite the view." He noted as he looked out the window.

Rachel failed to respond, so he turned to her, seeing her crying silently.

He walked over and took a seat next to her. "She is such a beautiful child, you know that right?" he said quietly. She didn't respond.

"What's going on in that mind of yours?" Finn asked, looking at her. He rested a gently hand on her face. "You can tell me anything."

She glanced up. "Do you know how much I've dreamt about seeing what I just saw in there?" she asked as she wiped her eyes.

He gave her his famous lopsided grin. "And now that you did, why are you so upset?"

She shrugged.

"Exactly. Look. I'm like beyond pissed off at you for keeping something like this from me. I don't know if I can ever forgive you for it, but I do know that there's nothing that can be done about the past now. I'm not going to sit here and make you pay for your mistakes. What I want now, more than ever, is to just be a family. I never had my dad there, and though Burt is a close second he came in the picture when I was a teenager."

"Speaking of your parents…." Rachel said cutting him off. "Oh God, your mom. She's going to hate me so much." She said, hiding her face in her hands.

Finn shrugged. "We'll tell them. I doubt she's going to hate you, Rachel. Calm down." He paused as a million questions welled up inside of him. "Wait, do your dad's…"

"They know." She said quietly. "They're the only two I've ever told, up until tonight."

"How did Kurt and Blaine know?" he asked.

"Kurt didn't until right before the show." She explained.

"How did you hide that from him when he's been out here all this time?" he asked.

"I just never brought it up. I hardly ever saw him before we got cast in the same show and Mckinley was always with the sitter during rehearsals. I just….never told him."

"Why?" he asked.

"I don't know." She said simply.

"Are you ashamed?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Oh goodness no. She's my everything. I…I didn't want anyone to tell you unless it was from me myself. Could you imagine finding out from someone else?" she asked.

Finn looked out the window once more, agreeing with what she said. "I don't understand…"

Rachel shook her head. "It all seems ridiculous, now that I think about it."

Finn nodded. "Ridiculous is sort of an understatement. But, it's in the past. What're you going to do about it now besides try and make it better?"

Rachel looked at him. "How are you always so optimistic?" she asked.

He smiled. "Life is too short."

They sat quietly, enjoying each other's company.

"You know…" Finn began, breaking the silence. "You are like a real life Fanny Brice. Seriously."

Rachel laughed. "As long as you don't end up in jail and then come out realizing we aren't good for each other."

He reached for her hand. "Nah. Not going to happen." He said.

She gave his hand a squeeze. "Good. God, I've missed you so much." She said moving closer to Finn as he put his arm around her shoulder. "How is Ohio anyway? I speak with my dad's here and there, but they never tell me much about Lima. They're always so invested with my life, trying to help, doing the fatherly thing."

Finn smiled. "Ohio is Ohio. Always the same. Lima doesn't change."

Rachel looked out the window. "Do you see anyone from Glee?"

"I see Puck. He works with me with the football team." He said.

"You help out with football?"

"Yeah of course." Finn said. "I love helping. I play for LCC too. My life is just a lot of football, it gets old and tiring but I like it." He said.

"You're very good at it though. Are you doing good in school?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, I am." He said proudly.

"I'm glad." She said.

He looked down at her. "That doesn't sound meaningful."

She sighed. "No, it is. This is just why I didn't tell you about Mckinley. Everything in your life is going the way you want it too. I could never force you away from it to a city like this, where you don't want to be." She explained.

"You wouldn't be forcing me. If I want to be with my family, let me. I could have all those things in this city, and more."

Rachel smiled. "No seriously, I can't do that to you."

"Rach, I love you. I love Mckinley already. I can't leave you two here. Don't you need me here?" Finn asked.

"I could always use the help, of course. Being on Broadway all night, I feel guilty always leaving her with a sitter. I saw the way she interacted with you tonight. She loves you already so much." Rachel said.

Finn smiled. "Then let me in this life of yours, Rachel. Let me help."

"Why don't you hate me?" Rachel asked.

He shook his head. "You hurt me like hell, but I could never hate you. I let you go for three years, not understanding why or chasing after you. Three years is my limit."

Rachel smiled, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Okay, you win. If you want to be a part of this life, we'll begin tomorrow."

He squinted his eyes as she stood up. "What do you mean?"

"She's a lot of work, Finn. You have no idea."

He laughed. "Challenge accepted."

She smiled. "After just one day, you'll wish I would have had a boy. I've heard they're a lot less fussy."

Finn shrugged. "I'm glad she's a girl. If she's anything like you, then of course she's a diva. However, she's going to be a daddy's girl. You'll see."

Rachel laughed, leaning into him, wrapping her arms around Finn's neck. "A diva?" she asked as she kissed him.

Finn smiled in the kiss, his arms around her tiny waist. When they pulled away he looked over at the clock. "You should go to sleep, you have a long day tomorrow."

She shrugged. "True. Mckinley usually wakes around eight too, but I usually don't mind. It gets me going."

He looked at her, smiling. "Eight is super early. I definitely mind." He said as he stood, lifting her up, putting Rachel over his shoulders.

"Oh my God, Finn! Put me down!" she yelled.

"Hey, hey, shhhh. You want to wake up your daughter?" he asked.

She laughed until Finn walked into what he assumed was her room, putting her down gently on the bed.

When he did this, Rachel pulled him down onto her. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too." He said kissing her.

She smiled and got up walking towards her bathroom to change. "Tomorrow is going to be exciting!" she said loudly.

Finn crashed on the side of her bed, before getting up. Rachel was humming quietly from the bathroom and he walked out of her room across the hall. Glancing in Mckinley's room, he saw her breathing peacefully. He smiled turning around. Like an instinct, he had to make sure Mckinley was okay.

When he walked back in Rachel's room, she stood by the side of the bed. She looked up at him and smiled. "She'll be three on April 12th, she's going to sleep fine, and if not, she'll come in here." Rachel said.

He looked at her and smiled as she climbed into the bed. "Now calm down and come over here." She said.

He went over and climbed into bed next to her, cuddling close. Within minutes she was asleep, a drastic change from years previously when she was able to stay up and talk her mouth off for hours to him. He still didn't understand how she managed to do all of this on her own. Soon, he drifted to sleep, lost in his own thoughts.

His eyes shot open and he instantly glanced at the clock. 4:03 AM it read. He had only been asleep for a few hours. He could hear Mckinley crying. He heard Rachel sigh loudly, knowing she was awake then too.

"You remember how you said you were prepared to deal with this? You can begin with this." She muttered. "You'll know what to do." And just like that, she rested her head back on the pillow.

"What do you usually do?" he asked.

She turned her head towards him. "I promise you'll know what to do. She calms down easily, it was probably just a bad dream or something."

Groggily, he stood up, making his way across the hall. "And she does Broadway with this?" he said out loud. Oddly, he wished he was here for this anyway.

He entered Mckinley's room. "What's wrong?" he asked, gently walking over to pick her up. She didn't say anything; she just rested her head on his shoulder and cried.

Assuming it was a bad dream like Rachel said, he walked back and forth across the room gently patting her back as she calmed slowly. He yawned as he did this, realizing how tired he was.

Once she calmed down she fell asleep on his shoulder, and he walked back to her bed, putting her back in it before kissing her forehead.

When he got back into Rachel's room, he closed her door and jumped back into the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned his chin on her shoulder. She turned her head to face him a little.

"How do you do it?" he whispered.

"Magic." She whispered back.

He kissed her cheek gently. "I always knew you were, Rachel Berry." He said before she turned over to cuddle into him close. They were asleep within minutes.

0000

The next morning, Finn awoke, not seeing Rachel there. He glanced at the clock. 10:15AM. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, hearing slight commotion coming from outside the room.

As he walked out of the room, he smiled over at Rachel who was on her knees on the living room floor, toys scattered everywhere around her. Neither of them noticed him walking towards them, so he paused to watch for a minute before interrupting.

"Where is this one going?" Rachel was asking Mckinley.

"The store." Mckinley said simply, taking the little toy out of Rachel's hands, placing it over towards blocks that Finn assumed was probably the store.

"And this one?" Rachel asked, handing her another.

"Mall. Duh." Mckinley said.

Rachel laughed. She obviously had heard that from her before. Finn took note of this.

"She hear that from you sometime?" he asked.

Rachel turned looking up at him. "Oh I'm sure of it."

Finn looked down at Rachel. "You didn't wake me?" he was slightly disappointed. He had wanted nothing more than to be a part of all of this, but it was almost as if Rachel didn't want to be bothered with it.

"I wanted you to sleep." She said simply.

Just then Mckinley looked up at him. "Wanna play with us?" she asked.

Finn smiled. It was strange looking down at such a small person who possessed some of the same qualities as him.

Rachel gave Finn a stern look, and he instantly got down on the ground next to them, sitting cross legged. When Mckinley was lost in her own imagination, Finn looked over at Rachel. "Do you plan on spoiling and giving her everything she wants until she becomes a brat?"

Rachel looked confused.

"You're 'you better get down and play with us before she throws a fit' look." Finn said.

Rachel nodded. "What else were you going to do? You said you wanted to get to know how your daughter operates."

"I…" Finn said, grabbing a kid's book nearby. "I'm going to learn my shapes. Obviously."

Rachel laughed. "Oh, good idea. Actually, why don't you help Mckinley with them?"

Finn looked at her. "How?"

Rachel gave Finn a look. "You've really got to stop caring. Like I told you before, she's not going to judge you. You are her father, and it shows. Besides, I've really got to go get showered. I usually wait until her nap, but since you're here…." Rachel stood up.

Rachel planted a kiss on Finn's forehead, before walking away, leaving Finn alone with Mckinley. He glanced over at Mckinley who was in turn looking at him. "Dadda?" Mckinley asked.

Finn was taken aback. How the hell did she know that? Rachel must've said something. He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"I'll teach you the shapes." She said proudly looking at the book he still had in his hand.

Finn looked down at it. "Oh, alright. Yeah, give me a refresher." He said awkwardly, turning the book the right way. "Get over here then munchkin." He said as she walked her way to him, placing her tiny bottom on his right leg. He wrapped his large arm around her, holding the book in front of him. "You know them all?" he asked her

"Yeah." Mckinley said simply.

He almost wanted to say bullshit, but then he realized he was talking to a little girl. The brief thought to teach her swear words to say to her mother sort of amused him though. "Oh yeah? What's this one?" he asked pointing to the circle.

She said circle.

This repeated until the book was over. This kid was smart. They did a few more things together and before Finn knew it, Rachel walked back down the hall out to them.

"Having fun?" she asked, walking towards the kitchen.

"Yeah. Your kid is a shape professional. I see a geometry professor or something in the near future." He called out to Rachel.

"Our kid." She corrected him.

He went to speak, but was stopped by the sound of her phone going off. He glanced down at Mckinley who was smiling at him, handing him random blocks. "Help me." She said. He did as she instructed.

"Hey dad." She said.

"Oh, what, you can?...since when?...oh that's such exciting news!...yeah, you're going to die she's getting so big…." He listened in on the broken conversation as she replied to whichever Dad she was speaking too. It was obvious they would be coming out here sometime.

"Oh, but dad….Finn is here." She said.

His eyes wandered up to her, as he handed Mckinley a lego block. "Uh yeah…well, sort of a long story. No, no he isn't. Confused…..yeah I know, I know. I messed up with that…..I know dad!" she exclaimed. She turned around and caught Finn's eye. "Dad, can we please talk about this some other time? Tomorrow when you get in?"

She paused for a few minutes before wrapping up the conversation. "Dad, I know. I already know all of this! Dad oh my gosh, I'll see you tomorrow. I love you. Tell Dad I love him."

When she hung up the phone she turned around looking at Finn. "Sorry about that."

Finn shook his head. "No worries."

Just then Rachel looked over at Mckinley, ignoring whatever conversation she just had with her dad. "Ready for some lunch boo?" she asked her.

Mckinley looked at her and shrugged. "I'm having fun playing." She said.

0000

A few hours later, Rachel put Mckinley down for a nap. When she came out, she sat down next to Finn who was watching television.

"So my dads are flying out here tonight. They're coming to see the show tomorrow. Sudden change of plans I guess, because earlier in the week they didn't think they could make it." She said.

"That's good." Finn said simply. He didn't really know what to say to that.

"They are super curious to how you were taking this news, I guess. I apologize in advance if they ask you ten thousand questions." She said smiling.

He smiled back. "It's okay. I know how they are."

"What about your parents?" she asked then.

This caught him off guard, causing him to look away from the television. "I'll bring Mckinley with me to the show later. We'll go from there." He said simply.

"That's it?" she asked. "You don't have a more solid plan?"

She shook his head. "Not really. I mean, they leave for Ohio tomorrow…."

"And so do you." She muttered.

He frowned. "I do."

He didn't continue any further, knowing she was disappointed. He didn't want to invade his way into her life if she wasn't going to ask though he desperately wanted her too. He knew he didn't have as much money as she did, and he definitely knew he couldn't afford to live on his own by moving to New York sporadically.

She looked over at him suddenly, wrapping her arms around him from the side. "We'll still figure things out, right?" she asked quietly.

"We always do." He said, kissing the top of her head gently.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Ah, thanks for the positive reviews! I'm not done yet! One more Chapter and maybe an epilogue. I can't actually tell you how long this is going to be, I'm going with the flow! Enjoy!

* * *

><p>That evening came around just as quickly as the day went by, and before Finn knew it, Rachel was out the door, leaving him and Mckinley in the large apartment alone.<p>

"So…." Finn began. "What's up?" he said to the little girl who was drinking juice from a sippy cup, watching some children's show.

Mckinley just looked up at him and laughed.

"Cool, me too." He replied to her laughs, laughing a bit himself. He may not have ever known what to do when it comes to children in the past, but it was just different when it was his. He saw part of his same silly grin on her lips that were so evidently Rachel's. He hadn't a clue what to do with her for the next few hours until they had to go to the show.

"Hey kid daughter of mine." He said, an idea popping into his head. "You ever been to Central Park?" he asked.

Mckinley turned to him and shook her head. "What's that?"

He shook off the question. "Do you want to go?" he asked.

"Yes." She said, standing up.

"Cool." He said, swooping her off her feet as she giggled. "Does your mother ever let you pick out your own clothes?" he asked as he walked to her room.

"No." she said.

"Okay, well your super cool dad is here and he thinks you can do that." Finn said.

"Okay!" she said excitedly. He smiled. She probably had no idea what he was even talking about, and he was okay with that.

He set her on the ground when they got to her room. "Alright, hook yourself up with a jacket, some boots, gloves, and a hat." He said to her. He pulled out his phone as Mckinley wandered around aimlessly, calling Rachel.

She answered shortly after. "What's wrong?" she blurted out.

"Wow. Hello." he said. "Have a little more faith in me, will you? I just wanted to tell you that we're going to Central Park before your show."

"Oh." He heard her sigh with relief. "Be careful, okay?"

"I will be. Jeez, don't you think I can take care of her?" he asked.

"I think you'll be fine." Rachel replied.

"Thank you." He said.

"I've got to go." She said quickly. "See you soon, love you." She said before hanging up abruptly.

He looked at his phone then back down at Mckinley. "Wow, you've gotten nowhere!" he said sarcastically.

Mckinley looked up at him, lifting up her hands.

"And here I am, trying to make you self sufficient…." He said to himself.

"What are you talking about?" she asked curiously.

He smiled looking down at her. "Alright, let's get ready. I'm done playing games." He said seriously, looking around her closet for the things he was looking for. It wasn't long until he found her pink jacket, hat and gloves. He put her boots on last then picked her up. "You're all pink." He said.

"I am!" she said enthusiastically, laughing at him. He wandered around the apartment, searching for a stroller, throwing things into her bag. Once he found it, they headed out, him locking the door behind them.

When they got to central park, he put her in her stroller and walked around with her. They came across a playground and he figured they'd play there for a bit then head over to the show. He took her out of her stroller and she quickly ran away from him towards the play set. He watched her intensely; worried that she would fall and hurt herself at any moment. He finally understood what parents had to deal with.

"Daddy, look!" Mckinley yelled at him as she slid down the toddler slide.

He looked over at her, giving her a thumbs up, laughing as she laughed all the way down the tiny slide. She was adorable. He had no idea how he was supposed to leave her the next day.

"Is that your daughter?" He heard a voice next to him. He turned and looked at the older lady lady sitting not five feet away from him nodding. "Yeah."

"She's real cute." The lady said.

"Thanks." Finn said back.

Mckinley then ran up to him. "Daddy?" she asked.

He looked down at her. "Did you see that?" she practically shrieked.

"Yes. Coolest trick I've ever seen." He said to her.

She laughed and grabbed his large hand. "Come with me!" she said.

Finn shook his head. "Oh come on, you know I'm way too big for that slide." He said.

"So I have an idea." She pleaded. She was way too adorable to deny.

"Alright, alright. I'll race you to the slide." He said, as she began to run. He let her run a few feet forward before walking slowly behind her. Of course he was going to let her win. When she reached the slide she jumped up and down. "I beat you!" she taunted.

Finn leaned over, resting his hand on his knees. "Yeah you did!" he said, pretending to be exhausted. "Where did you learn to run so fast?" he asked her.

She laughed as she climbed up the steps to the slide. "When I slide down, catch me." She said.

He did as he was told.

It wasn't long until they were both cold, ready to head to the warm theater. He picked her up, keeping her warm as he walked over to the stroller. He set her inside of it, and strapped her in.

"Daddy?" she said gently.

"Yes Mckinley?" he asked. He liked that Rachel decided to name her that. It had a lot of meaning to the both of them.

"I love you." She said, smiling.

"I love you too bug." He said standing up.

They headed towards the theater, making their way through the busy New York streets. Mckinley was humming random noises to herself. Finn was certain that this was the happiest he had ever been in his life, aside from various other moments.

When they arrived at the theater, he took her out of the stroller, folding it up, carrying Mckinley in one hand, the stroller and bag he brought with him in the other. They made their way to the front row, where his family would be sitting once more. His heartbeat quickened. How was he supposed to explain this to his mom and Burt? What would their reactions be? It wasn't his fault, he didn't know just as much as they didn't. He didn't want them to hate Rachel though either over this.

He approached his seats, seeing Carole and Burt already there. He took a deep breath.

"You ready, Mckinley?" he whispered to her.

Mckinley nodded, and he quickly walked up and took his seat, Mckinley sitting in his lap.

"Hey." He said casually at his mom and Burt. They both looked at him, wide eyed as he began to take off Mckinley's gloves and hat, putting them in the bag below his feet.

He glanced over at them, giving them a peculiar look. Mckinley mimicked her father, doing the same, or at least attempting.

"Something wrong?" Finn asked them casually.

Carole shook her head, putting her arms up. "There's a child sitting on your lap, and you're going to sit there and act like everything is cool?" she asked bewildered.

"Oh." Finn said. His heart was beating rapidly. He had no idea what to do, so he blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. "Yeah, this is my daughter." He said.

Burt almost choked on his own spit at the sentence, Carole instantly brining her hands up to her chest.

"Your what-?" Burt asked.

"Daughter." Finn said.

"I'm Mckinley." Mckinley said to them. "Hi."

Finn smiled down at her. She obviously wasn't a shy child by any means.

"Are we going to see mommy soon?" Mckinley then asked him.

He nodded down at her. "We are."

Carole looked at them, tears in her eyes. "You mean…?

Finn nodded. "Yeah, I just found out too."

Burt squinted his eyes. "You mean Rachel kept this from you?"

Finn nodded once more. "Yeah, she did."

Carole shook her head. "But why?"

"It happened before she left for New York I guess, and she thought by not telling me she was protecting me by not forcing me out of here…." He began. He really didn't want to be having this talk in front of Mckinley.

"Wow." Burt said. It was obvious he didn't know what to say. "That's a very shitty thing to do." He said bluntly.

"Burt." Finn said, motioning his head towards Mckinley who was conveniently looking around in the other direction.

He shrugged. "She'll learn the word eventually."

Finn sighed. "Look, I know this is all confusing and weird, but can we just talk about it after the show, maybe, not in front of Mckinley?" he asked.

His mother tilted her head, smiling. "Of course dear." She said. "But, can I hold her? My granddaughter." She blubbered.

Finn smiled. "Mckinley. This is grandma. Can you say hi to grandma?"

"Hi gramma!" she said excitedly.

"Oh aren't you the cutest!" Carole exclaimed, taking the tiny girl off of Finn's lap. Carole and Mckinley began to talk about nothing in particular, and Finn caught Burt's glare for a brief moment.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Finn practically yelled angrily at him.

Burt was taken aback. "Nothing. We'll talk about it after."

Finn nodded, leaving the awkward tension between them for a different time.

The show would be starting any moment, and Finn had taken Mckinley back. He could tell his parents were watching him intently. "Now when the show starts, you have to promise me you'll be super quiet so that mommy can do her thing on the stage, alright?" He said, putting his finger up to his lips to mimic a quiet gesture.

Mckinley smiled. "Alright." She said, mimicking him.

He smiled, kissing her forehead as the lights went down. The show was underway in no time.

Finn was slightly distracted the entire show. It wasn't that it was a terrible show, it was actually just the opposite, but he had seen it just the day before. He was much more interested in Mckinley's expressions. He also was distracted by his parents, who he knew he would have to face. Luckily, Rachel would be there with him the next time that happened.

Mckinley's mouth hung open in awe most of the time. "Lookit mommy!" she whispered occasionally to him. "Do you see that?" she would whisper. Finn would nod, smiling. In his eyes, she was enjoying this show more than anyone in the entire place. The way her face lit up when Rachel was on stage was such a sight to him. Carole leaned over, noticing too. "Look how happy she is." She whispered in his ear. He nodded to Carole as well, not wanting to interrupt the people around him.

When the show ended they all stood and clapped. He held Mckinley in one arm while she clapped enthusiastically. Rachel stood right in front of them as the cast bowed. Rachel took one look at both of them and waved happily as Mckinley clapped for her. Before the curtain dropped, she blew them a kiss.

"Where did she go?" Mckinley asked Finn.

"Backstage. We're going to see her shortly." He said to her. He would have to compliment Rachel on how well she behaved during that entire show. He knew he had nothing to do with that up until yesterday, so he contributed absolutely nothing to it thus far in Mckinley's life.

They walked backstage to find Rachel and Kurt. When they found Kurt, he thanked them all for coming once more but apologized, saying Blaine was getting off of work shortly and wanted to meet up with him. They all agreed on meeting up for breakfast in the morning, Rachel and Mckinley included if they wanted, before the Hudson-Hummel's flight left.

They reluctantly headed down the hall with Finn and Mckinley. "Before you jump down her throat, give her a minute." Finn had said quietly to Burt as they approached her dressing room.

Finn let Mckinley knock, and Rachel yelled "come in!" Her face lit up when she saw them all.

"Momma!" Mckinley screamed, running up to her as Finn set her down.

Rachel laughed, picking her up, planting about ten kisses all over her. "How's my baby girl?" she asked.

"Good." Mckinley said.

Finn looked up at her as he set all Mckinley's things on the ground. "You should have seen her face during the show. She was amazed to say the least."

Rachel smiled at him, before looking at Carole and Burt. Her face got serious. This made Finn turn towards them as well.

Rachel set Mckinley down, reaching for the bag Finn set down, grabbing a few things out to keep Mckinley occupied.

"Look…" Rachel began to Carole and Burt. "It's so nice to see you guys." She said firstly. "And I know you two must be so angry towards me, but I can assure you I thought what I was doing would protect Finn from having a miserable life…"

"You thought wrong." Burt interjected.

"Burt!" Carole said, before turning back to Rachel. "I'm sorry. Continue dear."

"I….I knew it was never Finn's plan to be in New York. He never wanted to be. I found out I was pregnant after I left. I told my dad's and nobody else. I'm not proud of it. I wish I could take back my silly reasoning but here it is, all out in the open. I'm so, so terribly sorry, not only to Finn, but you two as well."

Finn looked at them. "I know this whole thing is crazy, and I can't say I've completely forgiven Rachel, but when I look at her…" he looked down at Mckinley. "It just disappears you know? That's my daughter. I can't get back what I missed so far during her life as much as I want too, and as much as I'm sure you guys want too, but the only thing there is to do is put what's in the past in the past." He glanced at Rachel who was smiling thankfully up at him. "And no matter what you guys say, I'm not just going to walk away from the family I helped create. I take responsibility just as much as Rachel. I could've dug a bit deeper when she quit communicating with me out of nowhere a few years back, but I didn't."

Carole smiled. "You both are adults. I'm not happy you kept this from us Rachel, she is my only grandbaby, but like Finn said I can't really dread over what's already said and done."

Rachel nodded, but stayed quiet. That was unusual for Rachel, Finn thought to himself.

"Look!" Mckinley said to them all, turning herself around.

Finn instantly sat down next to Mckinley. "What did you get yourself into?" Finn asked.

"The bag." Mckinley said matter-of-factly. "Daddy, where's the crackers?" she asked him.

Finn glanced up at Rachel. "Can she?"

Rachel nodded. "Unless you want her to starve."

Finn turned back to Mckinley and the bag.

"Maybe we should go….somewhere else to talk." Burt said to Rachel and Carole.

Rachel nodded, looking down at Finn. "Want to take her back to the apartment? I'll be back there soon." She said.

Finn agreed as he began to gather Mckinley's things, as Rachel said her goodbyes to them both.

"I love you." She whispered in Finn's ear, kissing his cheek.

When Rachel, Carole and Burt all left, Finn looked at Mckinley. "So we meet again. Just you and I." he said as he began to put her gloves and hat on her.

Mckinley laughed at him.

When they got outside, the cool New York winter evening hit him hard. It was snowing lightly, which made the city beautiful being this close to Christmas. He strapped Mckinley into the stroller, making sure she was as warm as possible before heading quietly to Rachel's.

0000

Finn had put Mckinley to sleep all by himself that night. She never fussed like Rachel said she always did. It was some sort of miracle.

Rachel returned an hour later, looking exhausted.

"Everything okay?" he asked her, looking at her face as she threw her purse and coat in the closet.

"Oh, yeah. Everything is fine." She said simply, before walking over to himself on the couch. "Is she asleep?" she asked him, as she sat down on his lap.

"Yep. She didn't even fuss." Finn said.

"Really?" Rachel sounded surprised.

"Really" Finn said back to her, wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her close. "So, what happened?"

Rachel shrugged. "We just talked. I think they'll come around eventually, but they mainly asked me questions about Mckinley and well, I apologized maybe ten million times."

Finn smiled. "Don't worry about them."

Rachel sighed. "It's not them I'm worried about. I'm worried about you." She said suddenly.

"Me? Why?" he asked.

"What happens after tomorrow? I don't want you to go…." She said quietly.

"And I don't want to go." He reassured. "But I have too, at least for now. I have to figure things out. I want to be able to support myself if I stay out here."

Rachel looked at him sadly. "You don't have to worry about that, we can figure it out. Please, don't go anywhere tomorrow."

Finn sighed. "Rachel, I have too. None of my things are out here. I don't have school to worry about since it's finally break and it's not football season anymore but what about clothing? Everything else of mine?" he asked her.

Rachel shrugged. "We'll get you all of that out here."

Finn smiled. "That's quite the waste of money."

Rachel looked in his eyes. "When will you come back?"

"A few days, maybe a week. I don't want to go anywhere, but I have to take care of things in Ohio, you know that. Plus it's almost Christmas." He explained.

Rachel bit her bottom lip. "I'm so sorry for all of this." She said.

Finn shook his head. "Stop apologizing to me, Rach."

Rachel looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry, I…" she laughed as she caught herself. "I can't help it."

Finn leaned up, kissing her temple before she rested her head down on his shoulder. He never wanted tomorrow to arrive.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **If I do this how I planned without adding any more, there is one more part and maybe an epilogue. We'll see though! Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Finn woke up the next morning before both Rachel and Mckinley. He glanced at the clock, seeing that it was only shortly after eight in the morning. His heart instantly ached. In about an hour, he would be headed to breakfast with his family, and in no less than six hours, he would be headed back to Ohio. He looked over at Rachel who was sleeping soundly. He wanted to ask her to bring Mckinley and come along to breakfast, but he also didn't want to disturb her. He was torn, in more ways than one.<p>

He listened to Rachel's quiet, shallow breathing as he looked up at the ceiling. Just then, the crack in the doorway that shined light through got brighter. He sat up abruptly as the door opened wide, seeing Mckinley in the doorway. Her big brown eyes looked up at him as she smiled.

Not wanting to wake Rachel, he put his finger up to his mouth like he did the night before at the show, as he stood up. He was in nothing but his boxers, but he didn't care. However, he quickly grabbed the shirt he had on from the night before, throwing that on.

He walked out into the hallway, Mckinley in front of him as he closed the door gently.

"Guess what?" Mckinley whispered loudly.

"What?" he asked quietly.

She began to walk to the bathroom and he followed. "I went myself." She said proudly, as she walked up to her potty training toilet.

Finn looked at her. "You did?" he said enthusiastically.

Mckinley nodded.

"That's…." Finn paused. "Awesome!" he said awkwardly.

They walked out of the bathroom after he lifted her up so she could wash her hands, and headed to the kitchen. "What do munchkins usually eat for breakfast?" he asked her, as he made Rachel and himself some coffee with her machine. He figured making her coffee to wake up too would be a nice gesture.

She looked at him and laughed. He loved that she found him to be a comedian, but he also just liked her laugh. "Mac n cheese." She said.

Finn looked down at her as he grabbed her some milk putting it in a cup for her. "Good joke, Mckinley."

She laughed again. "I do." She insisted, taking the cup from his hands.

"What about like, eggs or something?" he asked her.

"Yuck!" she said loudly. "Mac n cheese." She then repeated a bit louder.

Finn looked down at her. "That's for lunch, not breakfast." He said a bit more sternly.

"So?" she asked.

He sighed, changing the subject. "Do you want to go eat breakfast with me, grandma, grandpa and Uncle Kurt? Maybe they'll have mac and cheese there." he asked her suddenly, knowing he had no idea how to do this parenting stuff without Rachel. He planned on googling this stuff the entire way back to Ohio.

"Yeah." Mckinley said simply.

"Let's go get ready then shall we?" he said, picking her up carrying her to the bathroom. As he started to fill the bath, he helped Mckinley out of her pajamas as she stepped into the tub. "Hot!" She screamed.

It startled Finn. He turned and adjusted the knob. "How about that?" he asked. They went back and forth a few times until she was content. He grabbed what he assumed was her soap and shampoo and started to help her over the side of the bath.

A few minutes later, he heard Rachel emerge from her bedroom. She stopped in the doorway to the bathroom. "Well good morning." She said quietly, smiling at them.

Mckinley looked up at her and smiled big, showing all her teeth. "Hi momma." She said simply.

Finn turned to her. "Morning." He couldn't help but look at Rachel longer than she had probably expected. She had pajama shorts on and a shirt, her hair in a messy ponytail and my God did she look beautiful to Finn.

"I heard her scream." Rachel said, breaking up Finn's thoughts. "Scared me half to death."

Finn smiled. "She's fine. I've got her. There's coffee out in the kitchen for you." He said.

Rachel nodded and began to walk away. "Hey wait, Rach!" he said calling her. She appeared back in the doorway. "I'm leaving soon for breakfast with my parents and Kurt before…" he paused. "….we leave. Mckinley said she was down to go, do you want too?" he asked.

Mckinley looked up. "Go!" she said laughing, putting soap on her head.

Rachel smiled. "Do I have time to get ready?"

Finn nodded. "You should."

"Then that's fine." She said, walking away from the door. He could tell she was upset, but so was he, and at the moment, there was nothing he could do about it on either end.

Just then Mckinley splashed him lightly with water. His attention shot back to her. "A worthy opponent." He said to her, gently splashing her back. They both began to laugh at each other.

0000

The breakfast went smoothly, and it wasn't long until they were saying their goodbyes.

"You promise you'll come visit us in Ohio, or we'll come out here." Carole was saying to Rachel. Rachel nodded, promising, saying goodbye to them with hugs and kisses.

"Mom." Finn interjected. "Is it okay if I meet you guys at the airport? I don't really want to say goodbye like this…." Finn said.

"Of course." Carole said. "Our flight is out of here at two though, don't forget!"

"I won't." Finn said.

They said their final goodbyes, and went their separate ways.

Finn held onto the stroller as Rachel walked close to him, hands in her pocket as she looked down, occasionally looking up to dodge other pedestrians. He didn't want to say anything to upset her so he began to talk about Mckinley.

"You know, I think you're a fantastic mother. Mckinley is so well behaved. I don't know many little kids her age, but usually they're brats." He said.

She looked up and smiled. "Thanks for the compliment, but trust me, she has her moments."

He shrugged. "Not that I've seen."

She looked up at him once more. "That's because for some reason, around you, she turns into an angel. I mean you said you put her down last night with no problems, no fighting on her part. That's insane. I've yet to see a night like that." She explained.

"Yeah, I guess that is weird." He said, not really knowing how to reply to that. Mckinley was so calm the night before; it really was a complete 360 from the previous night.

She shook her head. "You two are just so alike in many ways. I know she's only known you a few days, but I think there's some connection there that she is aware of subliminally or something." She shrugged. "I don't know."

Finn looked at her. "You should really be a psychologist with that reasoning." He joked.

"Good idea." She said sarcastically before returning to the same saddened state she was in moments before.

"Hey, cheer up." He said to her. "I promise you, I'm not going away forever."

"I know." She said quietly.

They walked in silence until they reached the apartment. Once they got inside, Rachel took Mckinley's winter gear off of her and let her run around with her toys. Finn looked at them, saddened by the fact that he was going to be missing out on things like this. Even if he would be back in less time than he expected, no part of him wanted to leave.

Just then Rachel turned to him. "I was thinking this entire way back, and I think I'll just go to Ohio for Christmas and Hanukkah and New Years and all of that." She said simply.

Finn shook his head. "Rachel, you don't have to do that."

"I want to do that. Mckinley is finally starting to understand the concept; I want you to be there. If that means coming to you, so be it. It'll be good for her to get away from here. It'll be good to me too. Then I can help you come back out here after the holidays. I'll rent a car for our ride to Ohio, yeah, Mckinley and I will take a road trip." She proclaimed.

Finn sighed. "Rachel. You have work, you have priorities here, your dad's are going to be in town in a few hours and you want to just send them back to Ohio? They came out here for you."

"They came out here for the show. They'd probably not mind coming back with me, even if they decide to fly. I have an understudy; she'll be thrilled if I leave. Finn, why is this such a bad idea to you?" Rachel asked, looking up at him confused.

"It's not a bad idea, Rachel." Finn said, grabbing her, pulling her in for a hug as Mckinley wandered around them aimlessly with her toys. He had missed Rachel's random ramblings.

"Then let me do it." She pleaded, looking up at him. "It's a good idea, I know it is. It'll be good for all of us and…"

"…I'm not stopping you." Finn interrupted, leaning down, giving her a gentle kiss.

Rachel returned the kiss before pulling away, turning to see what Mckinley was doing. "Mckinley!" Rachel said raising her voice. "No. I told you how many times before that you can't do that!" she said. Somewhere between their exchange of plans, Mckinley had managed to pry herself up on the couch to jump on it. She reached over for Mckinley who tried to get away from Rachel's grasp. "Mckinley, seriously, you could get hurt. Stop it! Now!" she yelled a bit louder. Mckinley stopped and looked at her before turning towards Finn, reaching out for him.

Finn looked at Rachel who was in turn glaring at him. "She's right." Finn said simply, before Mckinley allowed Rachel to get her off of the couch and back onto the ground. She began to pout afterwards, but Finn shook it off knowing in about five minutes she would be over it.

"I like how she already thinks that she can walk all over you." Rachel said, looking up at Finn as she grabbed some of her toys out of the closet.

Finn looked over at her. "I didn't do anything wrong just then did I?" he asked.

"No." Rachel said laughing.

Finn smiled his half lopsided smile. "I guess I have parenting studying to do." He said.

Rachel shrugged. "You're fine the way you are."

Finn thought for a few more moments before shaking off the thoughts of being a bad parent, before sitting down by Mckinley, talking and playing with her for the last few hours that he had.

0000

It wasn't long at all before Finn had his things packed up and was ready to head out the door. Rachel had hugged him and kissed him about a hundred times before he even had all of his things packed. After he put his coat on by the doorway, he turned and pulled Rachel close to him once more, giving her a tight hug, before kissing her. "Remember I'll be back soon." He said.

Finn squeezed her arms around him. "I'm so sorry." She said.

"For what?" he said, his chin resting on top of her head.

"You shouldn't be leaving right now." She said.

Finn smiled. "No need to be sorry."

When he pulled away, he looked sadly over at Mckinley. He took a deep breath. "Daddy's got to go." He said.

Mckinley looked up at him. "Where?"

Finn shrugged. "Home. I don't live here." He said.

"Why?" she asked.

"I just don't yet, bug." He responded.

"Stay." She said sadly.

"I can't stay." He said.

"You can stay, daddy." She said as she approached him.

His heart was breaking. How did Rachel expect him to just leave like this? He knew she didn't, but this was way harder than he had expected even if it only has been a few days time. Mckinley wrapped her arms around the bottom of his leg when she got up to him. "Don't go." She cried.

Finn looked over at Rachel who was wiping her eyes.

"Mckinley, listen." He said, getting down on one knee to face her. "I'll be back, I promise okay?" Mckinley nodded. "Just promise me you'll be really good for mommy while I'm gone, okay?" he asked.

Mckinley nodded once more. "Please."

Finn pulled the tiny girl in for a hug. "Just a few days." He said, not knowing if she even had a concept of time yet. He didn't care. "I love you so much baby girl." He said to her, kissing the top of her head.

"I love you daddy." She said back.

He stood and took one last glance at Rachel, before opening the door. "I love you guys." He said simply. He quickly walked out the door, not turning back. He could hear Mckinley's cries and Rachel telling Mckinley to stop, trying to get her to calm down. He sighed, shaking his head as he got in the elevator. He had tears in his own eyes. How could any person ever leave their daughter? He thought of Rachel just then. He was angry at her, despite his love towards her.

The second he left the building he dialed her number. "Don't make me leave her." He said abruptly.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Enjoy! I hope to have the next part up within a few days!

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><p>"Finn." Rachel said through the other line of the phone. "I don't want you to leave. You said you had too." She said.<p>

Finn shook his head, all his emotions welling up inside of him at once into one giant jumbled mess. "That's because I do have too but…" he sighed loudly, looking up at the apartment floor he knew was hers. "Come with me."

Rachel sighed. "Finn, my dad's are just now getting here. I can't just go, not today." She said.

"So leave town tonight." He said.

"Finn, please…" Rachel began.

"No, I'm serious Rachel. I can't leave my daughter. I can't…leave you." He said.

There was a pause on the other end. "I can't…" Rachel said quietly.

Finn sighed. "Please, please." He begged, wanting to walk right back into the building, blowing off his flight.

"You know how much I want too, but you know I can't just leave out of nowhere." She explained.

"It's not out of nowhere." He said.

"It kind of is…" she said.

"Earlier you had this huge plan to drive out to Ohio for the holidays. Christmas Eve is already tomorrow, did you forget? You wanted me to spend it with the daughter I just found out I had. You're the one who forgot to mention to me that I had a daughter this whole time, do you recall?" he practically shouted, his angry side coming out.

Rachel was silent.

Finn continued. "And you think that after two days I'm just going to leave no problem, forgetting about that?" he asked.

"No…" she said quietly.

He sighed once more, walking away from her building. "I just want to blow off my flight and not even go."

Rachel sniffed. It was obvious she was crying. "Rachel….don't cry. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to get mad I'm just upset…"

"It's okay." She interrupted. "I have to go." She said suddenly, hanging up on him.

He looked down at his phone, ashamed that he yelled at her, before putting his phone in his pocket as he hailed a cab, getting in, asking the cab driver to take him to the airport.

00000

He arrived at the airport just in time for his flight. When he boarded the plane, he quickly saw his parents and took a seat next to them. He didn't want to talk, he didn't want to do anything but wallow in his own thoughts. His mother, however, felt otherwise.

"Finn, darling." She began.

"Mom." He sighed, leaning his head back on the chair, looking up at the plane ceiling. "I don't want to talk about it."

Carole nodded. "Of course you don't."

"She just drives me so insane." Finn said suddenly, looking at Carole.

Carole smiled. "Only because you love her."

Finn didn't say anything, but looked out the window instead as the plane took off. He watched as the city got farther and farther away from him, including his daughter and Rachel. This had to be one of the saddest days of his life.

The next thing Finn knew, they were landing back in Dayton, Ohio. He fell asleep on the flight, and was woken up by his mother. He sighed, looking out the window miserably. He had never minded Ohio, and unlike Rachel he never had a burning desire to leave, but at this particular moment, he hated it and wished he'd never have to see this state again.

He followed solemnly behind Burt and Carole, still not saying a word. He wasn't pouting, he wasn't angry; he just wasn't in the mood to talk. He had never been depressed in his life, but he had an idea it felt something like this. The recurring image in his head of Mckinley wasn't going to leave any time soon, and that's what was upsetting him the most.

0000

The snow was falling heavily that evening in Lima, but it still didn't stop Finn from going out. His first stop was the mall. He was determined to get Mckinley some Christmas presents, whether he saw her or not on the actual day was beside the point. He looked around the isles of the Toy's R Us in the mall, but he knew he had no idea what to get her. What did kids her age play with? He wanted to call Rachel, but he knew she would be in the middle of her show at this time.

He glanced around the toddler section carefully, before picking out a few things. Shrugging to himself, he checked out and left the store. He walked through the mall, seeing other families, couples, and children all happy and in the holiday spirit. The mall was decked out with Christmas decorations, and this entire environment made Finn feel more alone than ever before. Ever since Rachel left, he had missed her, but never to this extent. It actually ached at his heart.

"Finn?" he heard from behind him.

He turned to see Puck standing behind him. "Dude! I didn't know you were back." He said, walking up to Finn.

"Got back earlier." Finn said shortly as Puck walked next to him.

"So, did you see her?" Puck said, getting straight to the point.

Finn nodded. "Yup." He really didn't feel like talking about things, especially to Puck of all people. They were friends, but they were two completely different people when it came to their personalities and the way they handled situations.

Puck looked at him. "And that's it?" he asked.

Finn nodded once more. "If you want it to be."

Puck stopped talking, but still resumed walking next to him. "Something's definitely wrong." He said finally.

Finn turned to him. "Can I just catch up with you later? I'm sorry. I don't really feel like talking about it, and I sort of am last minute Christmas shopping, and I want to get it done before it gets really bad outside."

Puck nodded. "Call me sometime then man." He said, before turning walking away from him.

Finn headed out of the mall, his shoes crunching in the snow as his large footprints left marks in the snow behind his every step. He scraped the snow off of his car, before getting in shivering, heading home slowly but surely. He had half a heart to drive straight out of the state, nonstop until he got to New York, but he had to be reasonable. The first step to that was planning out a job and school out in the city. He would do that when he got home.

000

Rachel awoke on Christmas Eve to the sound of Mckinley. "Momma." She was saying, standing by her bed.

Rachel's eyes flicked open, looking down at the tiny girl standing before her. "Hmmm." She said quietly.

"I have to go." Mckinley said, looking up at her, her big brown eyes anxiously waiting.

Rachel sighed as she sat up, before getting out of the bed. She wanted to stay in bed all day. Her dad's were staying with her but of course Mckinley wouldn't bother them, just her. They had seen the show the day before, and they fell in love with it. They were staying over Christmas, but she knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to leave. After the matinee show today, she planned on giving the rest of the week to her understudy so that she could head to Ohio. Finn didn't think she was going to be coming, and that was the greatest part of it. Rachel wanted to surprise him, sort of like a Christmas gift, even if she and Mckinley would arrive on Christmas day itself. Rachel had even spent yesterday helping Mckinley draw Finn a Christmas card before her show. It was a mess, but Mckinley was proud of it, so Rachel was too.

Rachel helped Mckinley use the bathroom and then headed into the kitchen to get her some breakfast. The same routine as usual, only without Finn being there, something didn't feel right. She was more than excited to leave there later. She would just have to tell her dad's as soon as they….

"Hey!" One of her fathers, Hiram said as he entered the kitchen.

Rachel turned abruptly. "Oh hey." She said, not expecting him to be up. "You're up early." She said, knowing it was only shortly before nine in the morning.

Hiram shrugged. "Always have been an early riser." He said, walking up to Mckinley who was in her chair at the table. "How's my favorite granddaughter?" he asked her, sitting next to her as she laughed at him.

Rachel nodded. He had a point. "Would you like some breakfast? I can make you some things. We have eggs and…" she looked around, realizing most of the things she had were just vegetarian or vegan. She cut off her sentence as she poured a small bowl of cheerios for Mckinley.

Hiram shook his head. "You don't have to do that, how about I do it for you? When's the last time you had a break?" he asked her.

Rachel shrugged. "That doesn't matter; besides, you guys are guests in my apartment." She said smiling at him as she brought Mckinley the small bowl, sitting next to her opposite Hiram at the table.

"How are you doing, darling?" Hiram asked her as she occasionally looked over at Mckinley who was rambling to herself saying nothing in particular as she ate.

Rachel shrugged. "I'm fine." She said.

Hiram smiled, shaking his head. "I find that hard to believe."

"Why is that?" she said, knowing what he was hinting around too.

"Finn." He said.

Rachel nodded. "How did I know you were going to ask about him?" She smiled. She was grateful they cared, at least.

Hiram shrugged. "Why shouldn't I?" he asked.

He had a point. "What do you want to know about Finn is what I'm asking?" Rachel said.

"If you're okay. You know, ever since he found out and then had to leave this life so quickly."

"I'm fine of course, Dad. I always am." Rachel responded.

"I don't think you aren't, but it's Christmas Eve and I'm sure you want to see him…"

Rachel studied his expression. Did he already have a feeling what she was going to do? "Of course I do…" she said slowly. "Do you know something?"

Hiram looked at her confused. "Do you?"

Rachel nodded. "Yes. I sort of wanted to wait to tell you both though."

"Tell me what?" She heard Leroy say from the other room, as he also headed into the kitchen.

Rachel looked up, smiling slightly at the sight of her other father. "Am I missing a discussion of some sort?" he asked.

Rachel looked at the both of them. "I know you guys came out here to see me perform and all, but, I think after my matinee show today I'm going to go….to Ohio." She said.

They both looked at her, staying quiet.

Rachel continued. "If you don't want to go back, you're more than welcome to stay here and enjoy the city and…" she glanced over at Mckinley. "I just want her to be with him, especially for Christmas."

"I can't say we're surprised." Hiram said.

"I'm so sorry. Like I said if you want to stay, of course I wouldn't force you guys to come back to Ohio with me." She said.

Hiram shook his head. "It's not that."

Rachel looked at him, then back to Leroy, who sat there quiet. "Then what is it?"

"It's just that you're finally starting to act on your feelings. I've hardly seen that in your twenty one years of life." Hiram said.

"Is that bad?" Rachel asked.

"No." Hiram said. "Just very unusual for you, darling." He said.

Rachel shrugged. "It's different now, with her…" she said looking at Mckinley. "I care more about her than myself."

Hiram nodded. She knew that her father's knew where she was coming from.

"Then by all means, go!" Leroy said, suddenly speaking up. "Of course I want to see you up on that stage again but I can deal with once more for now."

"There will be so many other times, I can promise you that." Rachel said, smiling over at Mckinley who was watching them all converse, but not paying attention.

000

After the matinee show, Rachel told the director what her plans were. She had to him that she had to leave town and head back to her home town in Ohio for the holidays. He understood, knowing her under study would love to hear this news. Things happened in life, there was no denying it. She didn't tell him exactly why she was going, but she knew he didn't really need to know.

0000

Later that evening she was all packed and ready to leave, Mckinley's things also packed. Her fathers had decided they'd stick around in New York for one more evening, and then as planned they would fly back the next morning, Christmas day. They were Jewish, so naturally they didn't celebrate Christmas like Catholics did and it fell at the beginning of December this year, however, they did have a nice dinner together before that evening. They even bought a few gifts for Mckinley, who of course loved them, even though they were mostly clothing. Rachel had decided to embark on the ten hour drive at night, hoping Mckinley would sleep through most of it. Her fathers had helped her to rent a car since she wasn't twenty five years of age and it was sitting outside of her apartment come eleven that evening.

"Now, do you have a key to the house?" Leroy asked Rachel as she bundled up Mckinley.

"Yes." Rachel said. They had both been prying her with questions all evening about things she would have to take along.

"And you're okay on money? You have snacks for Mckinley and everything?" They were asking.

"Yes." She said, not trying to sound annoyed. They were making her way more stressed than she needed to be.

"If anything happens." Hiram said, grabbing her lightly on the shoulders. "Call one of us, immediately."

"Dad, I'll be fine." Rachel said, hugging them both.

She gave them a few minutes to say goodbye to a very tired Mckinley and they headed out.

"Ready to go see daddy?" Rachel asked Mckinley as she put her in the car seat.

Mckinley nodded yes, but didn't speak up. Rachel knew Mckinley wasn't happy with being up and out this late when she probably wanted to be in her comfortable bed, but she was glad that she was this tired knowing the chances of her sleeping most of the night were higher.

It wasn't long until Rachel began the long drive back to her hometown, Mckinley fast asleep in the back seat.

00000

Rachel arrived in Lima, Ohio at close to eleven AM on Christmas day. They had stopped a few times, and there was some slow traffic but other than that the drive was simple. She called her father's when she got back, who were both happy to hear that they were safe.

Mckinley was wide awake for the last few hours of the drive, and had asked Rachel maybe close to a hundred random questions, Rachel answering close to all of them.

There was much more snow on the ground in Lima in comparison to what there was in New York. In a way, Rachel missed it here; the small town feel of Lima. After all, this was where she grew up. They got settled in at her dad's house, before Rachel thought out the rest of her plan. Would she just surprise him and show up or should she call? She knew his family would be busy celebrating Christmas, so maybe a surprise would be the perfect holiday gift? Or would it be a burden on him if his entire family was together when she just showed up sporadically with his child?

Rachel had gotten Mckinley ready before herself, and after a few hours of lying around watching Christmas movies, she was ready to go see Finn. She bundled themselves up once more and headed out the door. His house was only a few minutes away from hers, but she drove regardless. It was cold in New York, but not this cold.

She pulled up at Finn's house, parking the rental car in the street. It didn't look like much was going on inside. She closed her eyes, her hands still on the steering wheel. She was nervous. What if they weren't home? She got out of the car, her boots falling gently in the snow as she walked. She grabbed Mckinley out of the car seat and let her walk slowly up to Finn's porch. She smiled, looking down at Mckinley as she laughed and shrieked over walking in this much snow. When they reached the door, Rachel suddenly felt panic stricken. She closed her eyes once more, took a deep breath, and knocked on the front door.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **I think I'm getting near to the end of this story, but I don't think it's quite done just yet! Just a few more though, enjoy! :)

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><p>Carole opened the door, her eyes widened as she saw them. "Oh my goodness!" she practically yelled, opening the door farther enough for them to step in. "What a surprise!" she said. It was obvious that she wasn't expecting this at all.<p>

Rachel smiled as she pulled her in for a hug, before instantly picking Mckinley up. "Well hello there!" she said to Mckinley as she held her.

"Hi!" Mckinley said happily, putting her tiny hands on Carole's neck.

"Brrrr, it's cold out there isn't it?" she said to Mckinley.

Mckinley laughed.

Rachel smiled looking around quickly, not seeing Finn or Burt. "Are they?" Rachel asked.

Carole nodded. "They're somewhere around here. We're having family over later. This will be such a pleasant surprise! Especially for Finn."

"What about me?" Finn said coming down the stairs. He looked over at the doorway and stopped mid step. He blinked twice, clearly taken aback by the presence of Rachel and Mckinley.

Rachel waved lightly, suddenly feeling stupid for being there. It wasn't until Mckinley saw him did that feeling of stupidity go away.

Mckinley screamed excitedly at the sight of Finn which made Finn smile and Rachel look at her with wide eyes.

"Mckinley Marie." Rachel said quietly. "Don't scream like that, please." She said.

Mckinley ignored her, still looking over at Finn. Finn smiled at Mckinley and lightly screamed back, shaking his head before laughing.

Mckinley laughed harder, screaming again.

"They have quite the relationship." Rachel said to Carole, who nodded in agreement as Finn walked quickly up to them. Before saying anything to Rachel, he took Mckinley from his mother's grasp hugging her tight. "What're you doing here, bug?" he said to Mckinley who put her tiny arms around his neck.

"I'll let you two be." Carole said, walking away. "Burt!" she then yelled, walking up the stairs.

Finn looked past his daughter's tiny shoulders at Rachel and smiled at her affectionately. Rachel smiled back, almost blushing for a moment before resuming her composure. "You know, screaming back at her isn't going to teach her anything." Rachel said.

Finn walked closer to Rachel, Mckinley in his arms still. "Don't worry about it, its fine."

"Not unless she learns to scream at you every single time she sees you after you've been out or away." Rachel explained.

"If the time ever comes, I'll deal with it then." He leaned down, giving Rachel a gentle, but sweet kiss. "What're you guys doing here?" he then asked as he set Mckinley on the ground, helping her take off her coat, boots, hat and gloves.

Rachel looked down at Mckinley. "Remember what I told you in the car? That thing you were supposed to tell daddy?" Rachel asked her.

Mckinley nodded.

"What was it?" she asked.

"Hi." Mckinley said.

Rachel shook her head. "No, Mckinley, come on. The other thing."

Mckinley smiled up at Finn. "Merry Christmas!" She screamed.

Finn laughed then looked up at Rachel. "That was what we're doing here." Rachel said.

"You're amazing." Finn said quietly.

Rachel blushed and looked down. "Not quite."

"Yes quite." Finn said

Just then Burt and Carole both came back down the stairs. "Oh my gosh, look at you're cute little Christmas outfit!" Carole exclaimed towards Mckinley who was wearing a red and green plaid dress with white tights.

"She really is a mini Rachel." Burt said, picking Mckinley up. Mckinley went off with Carole and Burt, leaving Rachel and Finn alone.

Rachel finally took off her coat and boots and Finn motioned to the stairs. "I'll throw them up there." He said.

She nodded and followed him up the stairs. When he set the things in his room, he turned around instantly, planting a rough but sweet kiss on her lips. "Thank you so much for doing this." He said.

Rachel returned the kiss before smiling. "I didn't just do it for her. I did it for me too."

He kissed her once more. "I know."

She looked up at him, pulling away. "I want you to come back with us." She said quietly.

Finn sighed. "Can we talk about this later? My family is going to be here in a few hours, and it's already going to be hard enough explaining to them all what's going on…" he explained.

Rachel nodded. "Your mom mentioned that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude…"

Finn stopped her. "You're not intruding, Rachel." He said rolling his eyes.

00000

A few hours later, Finn's family was starting to arrive for the Christmas dinner they were having. Rachel was helping Carole in the kitchen, who was more than delighted that they were there as she kept repeating. Rachel was glad that despite everything, they still liked her enough to include her in things like this even if they were spur of the moment.

"Rachel, I'm so sorry, I didn't make anything vegan though. I would have if I knew you were coming." Carole was explaining as they cut up vegetables for a veggie tray.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I promise its fine. I just may not eat any of the turkey, I'm sorry." Rachel said, putting a cucumber slice into her mouth.

Carole smiled. "Don't be sorry, dear."

Finn came in and put his arms around Rachel from behind her. "Mckinley saw that she has some gifts under the Christmas tree, and has been spazzing out ever since." He said to Rachel.

Rachel smiled, giving him a cucumber to eat. "Did you tell them they were hers?" Rachel asked.

Finn nodded as he chewed.

"That was your first mistake." Rachel said laughing. "Now she's not going to let it go until she gets to see what's in them."

He shrugged. "She'll get over it. Besides, she loves the attention the family is giving her." He said, letting go of Rachel to grab a carrot from his mom.

Carole looked over at them and smiled, walking away to set the tray on the table.

"Are they surprised?" she asked.

Finn shrugged. "Maybe over the fact that they didn't know, I'm not sure. I don't really care."

Rachel looked over at him as he sat up on the counter. "I care."

"Well you shouldn't." he said.

"Finn get off of there." Carole said, walking back into the kitchen. "I'm about to set food there."

He looked at his mom and laughed. "So what."

"So that's not sanitary." Carole said, hitting him playfully.

"Fine, I'll go to where I'm appreciated." He said, jokingly walking out of the room.

0000

The dinner went way better than Rachel had expected. Unlike with Burt or Carole, it wasn't nearly half as dramatic. Of course some of his family had questions, and she answered them confidently even though on the inside she was embarrassed over her selfish stupidity. But it was Finn's family. She had known most of them from her high school years; after all, they spent a lot of time together. What she liked the most was the compliments on how much more grown up she was or acted. When she was in high school she was a lot to handle and she knew it. They were happy for her over her success and they were happy that Finn, Mckinley and she were a cute little family.

"She's definitely a daddy's girl." Rachel was telling one of Finn's aunts, as Finn cut up some of Mckinley's food into tiny pieces for her as Mckinley rambled on to him about something that Rachel wasn't paying attention too. However, Finn was replying to her every chance he could, saying things like "Oh yeah?" and "uh huh."

When he sat back down Rachel looked over at him. "Good conversation?" she joked.

Finn smiled. "The best. I have no idea what just happened." He said.

Rachel laughed.

"She looks just like the both of you." His aunt said, looking at them.

Rachel nodded. "She acts just like Finn too sometimes, it's crazy."

"Things like that are unbelievable." His aunt said.

Finn and Rachel exchanged a glance across the table, but stayed quiet.

"Momma look." Mckinley said, taking a bite of mashed potatoes. "See?"

"Mhmmm, good job." Rachel said encouragingly.

"Mckinley look." Finn then said, taking a larger bite of his mashed potatoes.

Mckinley laughed, trying to mimic him by taking a larger bite than previously.

"Oh my gosh." Rachel said, shaking her head before looking away. Though she didn't want to admit it to herself, it was things like that she lived to see these days. It was one of the main reasons she was going to beg that he came back to New York with her the next day.

000

The end of the evening arrived before Rachel knew, and his family was heading out little by little. Rachel said goodbye to them politely, occasionally stepping away from Mckinley who was playing with her new toys to give hugs and kisses.

When it was just them, Rachel helped Carole and Burt clean while Finn played with Mckinley, and soon they said their goodnights, leaving them alone. Rachel returned to the living room, sitting down watching them play under the glow of the Christmas tree lights.

"Mckinley got you something." Rachel said to Finn, suddenly remembering the hand drawn picture in her purse upstairs.

"She did?" Finn said, before looking at Mckinley. "You got me something?" He exclaimed.

Mckinley nodded, not looking up from the toy below her.

"It's upstairs, let me go grab it." Rachel said before doing so.

When she returned downstairs, she handed Finn the card. "She drew it all by herself." Rachel smiled, watching Finn's face light up.

"You drew this?" he asked Mckinley who looked up at it, laughing.

"It's me and you." Mckinley said.

Finn looked at it before nodding. "Yeah it is." He laughed over how it looked nothing like them. "Which one is me?" Finn asked her, showing her the card.

Mckinley pointed to the large green blob with arms and legs coming off of it. "That one. It's bigger." She said.

Finn nodded. "Awesome. Looks just like me."

Mckinley laughed and looked over at Rachel who was smiling at them both. "Mckinley, it's getting late." She said.

Mckinley frowned before looking down, pretending not to hear her.

"Let her stay here." Finn said abruptly, standing up to sit next to Rachel. "I don't know when you plan on leaving but let her stay with me for the night. You can too." He said.

Rachel shook her head. "We're leaving tomorrow night, I don't know if she should. Where is she going to sleep?" she asked looking over at Finn.

Finn shrugged. "With me. She won't die. You're leaving tomorrow night?" he asked, in an astonished tone.

Rachel nodded. "I'm sorry…"

Finn shook his head. "No, no it's okay, just wow, that's so fast."

Rachel looked up at him. "Come with us." She said. It was time she tried one more time.

Finn looked at her. "Please don't. I don't want to get into this."

Rachel bit the inside of her cheek before looking back down. "She can stay." She said finally.

Finn looked over at her. "What about you? You know you can too."

Rachel shook her head. "No, that's okay. I'd rather you spend time with her."

"I want to spend time with you too you know?" he said to her.

She shrugged. "I know."

He reached over for her hand, grabbing it gently. "I love you, Rachel." He said.

Rachel smiled. "I love you too."

"Thank you for giving me the best Christmas gift ever." He said sweetly.

She smiled and nodded, knowing she didn't need to say anything else.

0000

The next morning, Rachel arrived back at Finn's house to pick Mckinley up. They were going to spend the day together as well before they left. When Finn opened the door, Mckinley saw her and quickly ran up to her. "Momma!" she said, smiling up at her.

"Hey little munchkin." Rachel said picking her up, planting a kiss on her cheek. "How's my little girl?"

"Good." Mckinley said.

Finn looked over at her. "She slept fine, just a minor fall in the middle of the night."

Rachel's eyes widened. "She fell off your bed?" she exclaimed.

Finn nodded. "Yeah, but she's a trooper. She cried, but I got her to calm down."

"Is she okay?" Rachel asked worriedly, suddenly checking her face and head for bruises.

Finn laughed. "She's fine, Rachel." He said walking up to her. "Before we get going, there's something I want to tell you." He said, wrapping his arms around her tiny body slowly. They had planned to go to the mall and do a few other things.

"What?" Rachel asked, looking up at him, Mckinley still in her small arms.

"I did some thinking last night." Finn began.

Rachel raised her eyebrows. He was about to say what she wanted him too.

"…and you know I don't want to go through what I did the day I left New York again. I talked to Burt and Carole after you left and their okay with it but…"

"You're going to come with us!" Rachel said loudly, an excited tone spread across her voice. She had brought up the subject every chance she got without making him mad. Her heart leaped, knowing it was finally here.

Finn nodded. "I am. If you want me too, that is."

Rachel smiled, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "You know that's all I want right now."

Finn smiled, before grabbing his coat out of the closet. "I have a plan and everything." He said as they walked out the door.

Rachel looked at him. "I'm impressed."

Finn laughed, taking Mckinley from her small arms. "Believe me, I am too. I even did some packing last night while Carole and Burt played with Mckinley."

Rachel grabbed his free hand even though they were only walking down the small pathway to her rental car. "I'm so glad." She said quietly.

Finn looked down at her and smiled. He was ready to be an actual family with Rachel and Mckinley and he knew exactly what he had to do to achieve that.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Next part in a few days! Sorry I can't update every day like I want too, life is busy sometimes! :/ Enjoy! This is one of those cute chapters, but this whole story is sort of haha. =)

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><p>With the help of Rachel, Finn had most of his things packed up by that evening. He had decided to take his truck along so that he could bring more of his things with him. They were leaving that evening.<p>

"Let me take Mckinley with me for some of the drive." Finn was saying, as he loaded things into the back of his truck.

Rachel shook her head. "There isn't a back seat in this thing."

"Honestly, what's the difference, Rachel? It's not going to make her being in the car any less dangerous being in the back seat. At least I can see her next to and me not behind me."

Rachel bit the inside of her cheek. "I don't want you to be distracted."

"She's going to be in a seat, she's not going to like smack the shit out of me while I'm driving. Besides, we're driving through the night, she'll be sleeping."

Rachel looked up at him. He had a point.

"Please." Finn said stopping to look over at her. "You've got to trust me."

"I do trust you." Rachel said.

"I mean with our daughter." He said.

Rachel stood silent for a few minutes before nodding her head. "I guess you're right." She finally said. "And I do trust you with her. She stayed with you last night didn't she?"

Finn nodded. "Valid point." He said, as he leaned over giving her a sweet kiss.

"Do you really want to leave Ohio?" Rachel asked as they headed back towards the house.

Finn nodded. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be doing all of this." He said.

"I don't want you to feel obligated just because of us." She replied.

He looked over at her as he opened the door to the house. "It's not an obligation to me. It's what I want to do." He reassured her.

She smiled looking down as they walked back into the house. Come tomorrow, they would be starting their life as an actual family back in New York. This made Rachel both excited and nervous.

0000

They began their trip back around one in the morning. Mckinley was already fast asleep, and Finn felt bad waking her.

Mckinley was in the process of throwing a fit as they said their goodbyes. Carole was almost in tears. "My little boy." She said as Finn blushed.

"Mom stop, you'll see me." He had said hugging her.

"Yeah, you can come out anytime you want, both of you." Rachel said politely. She meant what she said. She had loved both Burt and Carole like she did her own fathers.

They said their final goodbyes and headed out, carrying the last few things. Mckinley had still been crying when Finn put her in the car seat in the truck that was already warmed up. "Mckinley." He said calmly. The little girl kept crying. "Chill out. You're going to tire your own self out even more with all this fussing." He said to her, ignoring her cries.

He closed Mckinley's door and turned, walking quickly up to Rachel.

"You're sure you want to take her?" Rachel laughed as Finn put his arms around her.

"Absolutely." Finn said, giving her a gentle kiss. "She'll fall asleep anyway; she's just making herself more tired freaking out in there." He said.

Rachel nodded in agreement. "Just follow me." She said quietly before giving him one last kiss. "And call me if something goes wrong, I'll pull over as soon as I can."

Finn smiled. "I think we'll be fine, but ay ay captain." He said jokingly.

When he got back in the truck, he did as Rachel said and began to follow her rental car. Mckinley was still crying lightly, and although Finn wanted to hold the little girl and comfort her, it was easier for her to just let herself fall back asleep.

"Mckinley." He said quietly, not caring whether or not she was paying attention to him. "Just go back to sleep, bug." He added, glancing over at her once in a while. It was weird driving this far with her next to him. He had always been a pretty decent driver, but knowing Mckinley was with him made him drive ten times more cautiously.

"Don't make me pull this car over, little girl." He said sternly before laughing at himself. He would have to get used to actually punishing her sometime in the near future.

"Just kidding, I know you're mad at me for waking you up. I don't blame you. I get pissed when people wake me up too." He said. "Yes, I know I'm strange. I'm making casual conversation with an almost three year old."

At this point Mckinley was silent, but her eyes were still open. He turned the music up a little, not wanting to bother her. He began to sing along to the song on the radio and before he knew it, Mckinley was sleeping once more.

00000

About four hours later they decided to stop at a rest stop. Finn didn't mind road trips, but he was seriously exhausted from hardly getting any sleep and now being on the road. He couldn't wait to be back in New York, collapsed on Rachel's large bed; next to her….He shook the thought off seeing her approach the truck.

"How is she?" Rachel asked through the window.

Finn looked over at her. "She's fine. I really don't want to wake her though." He said.

"You've got to get out of the car though Finn." Rachel said, concerned.

"I know." He said.

"Unlock the door." Rachel said, heading for the passenger side door.

Finn did as he was told, letting her open the door to get Mckinley.

Thankfully, when she woke up she didn't fuss as bad as Finn had anticipated. "It's okay, mommy just has to go inside really quick." Rachel was saying to Mckinley as she held her up, Mckinley resting her head on Rachel's shoulders.

"See, not too bad." Rachel said over to Finn who was getting out of the car as he stretched.

"Besides, you can't base everything you do off of her. She'll become so spoiled that way." Rachel said as they headed inside the rest area.

"I know that." Finn said, before changing the subject. "I need coffee." he said as he yawned.

Rachel laughed. "You and me both. Hey we're almost there though. We just have to get through Pennsylvania basically." She said looking up at him, brightly. He looked down at her and smiled back. How was she always so optimistic? It had always been one of the traits he had loved the most about her. Even in high school, Rachel had always been so positive over everything, even when she had no reason to be.

He nodded in agreement, not saying anything. "Do you want me to take her?" he asked quietly, as they walked in the Starbucks that was in the rest area food court.

"I'm okay." Rachel said.

Mckinley's tired eyes opened slowly as she looked up at Finn. Finn saw this and smiled down at her as Rachel ordered them both coffees, Finn pulling out his wallet to pay for them. When he looked back down at Mckinley she was smiling at Finn, slowly closing her eyes once more.

Finn's heart swelled. It was only a few second interaction, but the way Mckinley looked up at him with her big brown eyes, resembling a smile so close to his, he would never get over it.

They were headed out shortly after, and Finn had managed to convince Rachel to let him continue having Mckinley. "You just want her all to yourself all the time, don't you?" she asked, handing Mckinley over to him.

Finn nodded. "Hey, no offense, but you sort of had her for two years all to yourself." He said.

Rachel frowned. "How many times do I have to say sorry?" she said, raising her voice towards the end of the question. There was a hint of sadness too.

Finn chuckled. "Rachel, calm down, it's fine. I didn't mean anything by it." He said, instantly regretting saying it.

Rachel shook her head as Finn put Mckinley back in her seat. He shut the door gently before turning to her. "I mean it you know." He said, pulling her in for a kiss. When he pulled away she rested her head on his chest.

"I know." She said quietly.

He held her briefly, before slowly pulling away. "Let's get to New York shall we?" he said.

She smiled and nodded. "I love you." She said quietly before walking back to her car.

"I love you too." He called out, knowing he must've upset her by what he said. He got in the car and looked over at Mckinley, who was sleeping once more.

"You know, Mckinley. Sometimes I say the stupidest things. When you're older, please don't ever hate me for any of it. I love your mother more than anyone and anything in this world…" he paused. "Besides you of course…" he paused once more. "and other people, but the point is, I mean well. I hope you'll always know that." He said before following Rachel once more as they headed back on the road.

0000

When they finally reached New York, that next afternoon, the first thing Finn wanted to do was collapse and sleep for the next year or so. He was in awe as they drove in, seeing the cities beautiful skyline. "Mckinley, look at it." He said as she looked out the window. "You are one lucky girl to be living here. So many people wish they could." He explained.

They arrived at Rachel's apartment and Finn pulled into the parking space next to hers."We're home!" Finn said excitedly to Mckinley, who laughed in return.

"Home!" she squealed.

Finn hopped out of the car excitedly, quickly walking over to grab Mckinley.

Rachel got out of her car momentarily and looked up at the apartment building. "Finally!" she said. "That felt even longer than my drive to Ohio, which trust me, that felt like forever." She said over to Finn who had put Mckinley down on the pavement as he grabbed a few things.

Mckinley began to run around, soon finding her way to her mother.

"My baby!" Rachel said happily, bending down to give Mckinley a kiss. "Did you and daddy have a good time?" she asked.

"Yes!" Mckinley said happily as she calmed down, standing near Rachel as she began to help Finn grab things.

"Why don't we just wait until later to do this?" she asked him. "Aren't you exhausted?"

Finn nodded, turning his head to face her as he reached in his truck. "I am, but I don't want to do this later. You don't have to help me babe." He said.

"Well I want too." She said, crossing her arms.

Finn stopped and stood up, turning to her. "Go relax." He said, his hands full of bags. "I promise, it won't hurt my feelings."

Rachel frowned. "I'm not that tired." She lied. She wasn't about to have him move all of his things up to her apartment by himself. She would much rather do it while he rested.

Finn looked down at Mckinley who was looking out towards the street. "Fine, we'll go inside for now." He said. He was almost craving a nap, if that was even possible.

Rachel nodded and grabbed as much as she could, before heading towards the door, Mckinley following slowly, jumping around behind Rachel and ahead of Finn.

Once they got inside of Rachel's apartment, Mckinley ran up to her toys and began to go threw them. Rachel glanced over at Finn and shook her head. "Now you…." She said, setting the things she had in her hand on the ground. "Let me do this…" she added, grabbing the things out of his hand, also setting them on the floor. "Go rest." She said.

Finn shook his head. "What do you mean do this?" he asked.

"I'll get some stuff up here while you sleep. Trust me; you look like you need sleep. I'm okay." She said.

"Tough girl aren't you?" he said, smiling at her, as he took off his jacket.

Rachel laughed. "No, I just want you to get some rest Finn." She said, concerned.

Finn looked at her. "You just asked me outside if I wanted to do this later, and I said no. Now here you are saying you're going to do it?"

Rachel nodded. "I asked if you were exhausted, you said yes. I'm not. I'll go grab a few more things."

Finn looked at her. "I want you to relax." He persisted.

"And I want you to relax." Rachel retorted, not moving from the doorway.

Finn sighed, knowing he couldn't fight with her. He would never win. He kicked off his shoes and headed for the couch, collapsing down as he watched Mckinley.

Rachel looked over at him. "I'll be back up shortly. Just try to keep an eye on her." She said, before heading back out the door.

Finn looked up at the ceiling as he listened to Mckinley speak inaudibly to the toys she had already found to play with. He felt bad making Rachel carry things up, but he knew she wasn't going to do it all. At least she better not.

"Hey Mckinley." Finn said tiredly, sitting up. "Come here. Let me take your coat and boots off." He said, as she walked up to him.

He picked the tiny girl up setting her down on his left leg as he took off her things. "That's better, don't you think?" he asked, setting her down as she began to run back to her toys in her pajamas. "Hey wait!" he said.

She stopped and turned to him. "Give your dad a kiss." He said.

Mckinley laughed and walked back up to him, and she was once more lifted up. She gently wrapped her tiny arms around him, even though her hands only rested on the sides of his neck. "I love you." She said.

"I love you too bug." He said, before letting her go.

When Rachel came back in, he stood walking up to her. "Stop with that for now." He said quietly, pulling her in for a hug. He wasn't going to give up this battle so quickly.

Rachel laughed, wrapping her arms around his mid back. "Why?"

Finn leaned in, kissing her. "I'll worry about it later. I know you're tired too."

Rachel looked up and nodded. "So what?"

"So…" Finn said, kissing her once more. "Take a nap with me. We can both relax you know. Not everything has to be done at this exact moment."

Rachel laughed once more. "What about Mckinley?"

"What about her?" Finn asked raising his eyebrows.

"Someone has to watch her." Rachel said.

"Put her down for a nap." Finn said quietly. "She does need one eventually." He said.

Rachel shook her head. "Technically she doesn't…"

Finn cut her off, kissing her once more.

"You're impossible to resist." Rachel said as she licked her lips after the kiss, taking off her jacket and boots. "Can we do this all in a few hours though? I don't want this to be like a weekly thing, you getting all of your things up here."

"You know with you, that's not going to happen. It'll be done tonight, I promise." Finn said, smiling as they turned, wrapping one arm around her shoulder as they headed for the couch. They sat down next to each other as Rachel turned on the television, asking Mckinley to come sit by them.

Mckinley sat up on Rachel's lap, and Finn smiled looking down at both of them. There was nowhere else in the world he'd rather be and he knew moving there was one of the best decisions he's ever made. He thought of the next day, and all the things he had to do, knowing there was one thing that topped all the others. And that made him nervous.

It wasn't long until he was asleep on the couch, his arm limply around Rachel's tiny body.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:**I have to say, reading this chapter, eliminate what's been going on with Finchel in the actual show please aka the engagement, and chapel with Quinn's accident. Pretend that doesn't happen, because in this story, it doesn't haha. Other than that, enjoy!

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><p>When Finn awoke, it was already dark out and neither Rachel nor Mckinley were anywhere in sight. He rubbed his eyes, still feeling slightly exhausted. He stood up, stretching his arms out above him as he yawned. Just then Rachel appeared from the hallway.<p>

"Well good morning!" She said smiling.

"It's morning?" he asked her, looking out the window.

Rachel shook her head. "No, it's almost eight at night." She said.

He looked over at her. "Where's Mckinley?" he asked.

"I just put her to sleep. She was being temperamental all evening, I figure it's just because she's exhausted. She's out already." She explained.

Finn nodded as he looked at her. She was giving him a suspicious look. "What?" he then asked.

Rachel smiled and shook her head. "Nothing." She said, reaching over for his large hands. "Do you see what I got accomplished while you were asleep?" she then asked.

Finn looked over towards the door, seeing the boxes piled up. "You didn't do it all did you?" Finn exclaimed looking down at her.

She shook her head. "Most, not all."

"Rachel, you didn't have to do that." Finn said, walking up to his things.

Rachel shrugged. "I didn't know what else to do." She said simply. "It's not a big deal."

Finn frowned. "So you still didn't have too." He said.

"I wanted too." She said. "So what do you say? Should we move you in or what?" she said happily, clapping her hands together as she jumped up and down.

Finn looked at her and laughed. "I say that sounds wonderful." He said walking up to her, giving her a kiss.

They spent the remainder of the evening unpacking things and figuring out where to put things, and though they weren't completely finished, they both decided to crash a few hours later, both tired once more.

Finn jumped in the bed, where Rachel would soon join him.

"You know, this is the first official night of you being here." She whispered, looking over at him.

He raised his eyebrows. "And?"

Rachel shrugged, turning on her side to face him. "I'm happy." She said quietly.

"Me too." Finn said, leaning in to give her one last kiss.

They were asleep within minutes.

0000

The next day, Finn woke up before Rachel. Letting her sleep, he got up and headed straight for Mckinley's room. Mckinley was awake, mumbling to herself in her bed.

"Good morning, bug!" Finn said as Mckinley smiled excitedly at him, raising her hands up to be let out of the bed.

"Daddy's got a big day today." He said quietly to her as she put her tiny arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder as he walked out of her room. "Bathroom?" he asked her.

The little girl shook her head no.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She nodded her head yes, as they headed to the living room. When he set Mckinley down, he turned on the television as she ran over to the bookshelf that had a whole lot of her things on. She grabbed a book and walked clumsily up to him, handing him the book.

"Oh what do you got there?" He asked, looking down at the book.

"A book" she said as he lifted her up onto his lap. "Read it."

"You want me to read this to you?" he asked looking down at it.

Mckinley smiled, nodding at him.

"Don't munchkins usually get read to at night?" he asked her.

She laughed as he flipped open the book. It was a Dr. Seuss book, something he was actually familiar with. "Oh, The Lorax." Finn said, "I like this one."

He began to read, letting her point to the pictures and say things occasionally before continuing, giving each character a different voice, clearly amusing the little girl.

It wasn't long after until Rachel appeared in the living room, wearing one of Finn's football hoodies from high school.

Finn looked up at her, doing a double take. "Did you find that?" He asked, smiling at her as the large red sweatshirt rested loosely over her tiny body.

Rachel nodded. "In a box last night I did. I've always liked this one." She smiled.

"You would never wear it back then." Finn said.

Rachel shrugged. "It was always huge on me."

"It still is." Finn said, laughing.

"Daddy!" Mckinley screamed then.

"Mckinley, please don't scream." Rachel said. "Mommy just woke up."

Finn's attention went back to the little girl. "Sorry." He said as he flipped the page of the book, beginning to read again.

Rachel sat down on the arm rest of the chair, overlooking the both of them as he read to Mckinley.

When the book was finished, he set Mckinley back down as she ran over to her things.

"Do you have to go back to the show today?" Finn then asked, pulling Rachel off the arm chair into his lap.

Rachel laughed, but nodded. "I do, but there's only one night show tonight, no matinee. Why, do you want to come?" she asked, as she rested her head back on the side of his chest, her legs over the armchair.

Finn wrapped his large arms around her, wresting his hands on her stomach. "No, that's okay. I've got some things to take care of today." He said.

"Like what?" Rachel asked.

Finn shrugged. "Well I was going to go apply for school, maybe talk to someone."

"Finn it's the holidays." Rachel said. "You won't be able to do that until after New Years." She said.

Finn looked down at her. She was right. "Alright, well I'm at least going to look for a job or something." He said.

Rachel frowned. "You don't have too…" she said quietly.

"I want too. I'm not going to sit around here being a bum." He said as a hint of irritation arose in his voice.

"You're not a bum." Rachel said.

"Yeah, but if I sit around here all day and live off of you then I'll certainly feel like one." He said.

Rachel bit the inside of her cheek. "Fine. Do I have to call Elizabeth to watch Mckinley later?" she then asked.

Finn shook his head. "What? No. I can take her with me." He said.

"Are you sure? Won't she be a distraction?" she asked.

"I don't think so. I can handle her."

Rachel shrugged. "If you say so."

Finn kissed her cheek gently.

0000

Later that evening, while Rachel was at her show, Finn took Mckinley out once more. He had spent all day with her, applying for jobs at places; hopefully landing one sooner rather than later. He knew come winter semester, he would hopefully be at school as well. He hoped that when it came down to it he could handle all of these things, but he would do it regardless of the stress. He had a decent living saved up from all the working he did back in Ohio, but he wasn't about to let the guilt of living off of Rachel overcome him when that savings ran out. That just wasn't how he did things, and the urge to support the little girl that he helped to create ate at him more and more each day.

Knowing she would be at the theater for the next few hours, it was the perfect opportunity to go out. He went to the nearest Tiffany's, looking at their rings. Everything was more expensive in New York. Why hadn't he thought of this before hand? He asked a jeweler for help picking out the perfect engagement ring. He had almost proposed to Rachel back in high school, but knowing it was the wrong time, it had prevented him. Something about doing it now just felt right.

It wasn't long until he was the proud owner of the perfect engagement ring for her. It wasn't the cheapest, and it wasn't the most expensive, and he would be paying it off for a while, but he didn't care. "Do you think she'll like this?" he would ask Mckinley back in the store. Mckinley had said yes to practically all of them. This made the store assistant laugh, commenting on how cute she was. He finally had settled on a heart shaped ring, knowing it was more Rachel Berry than anything else in the store. "How about this one? It's perfect for mommy isn't it?" he asked Mckinley, as she stared at in awe before shaking her head. "Yes." Mckinley said repeatedly until Finn finally agreed, making up his mind as well.

He thought about how this would happen the entire way back to the apartment. Would he take her somewhere fancy? Would he wait a few days? Or should he just pop the question when she got home? Just then the idea hit him. He would make her something and surprise her when she got home. It would be perfect. Not too much, but definitely romantic all at the same time.

Before she arrived back at the apartment, he had bathed Mckinley and put her to sleep before heading into the kitchen to make something small up for the both of them. Knowing she wouldn't be starving when she got back, he put together the perfect vegan salad for both of them, before setting them on the table, lighting the candles he found nearby. It wasn't much, but it was for sure something Finn would do.

Rachel walked in the door about ten minutes later, thrown off when she saw the table. "What's all this?" she asked happily, taking off her things heading to the dining room table.

Finn shrugged, his heart beating quickly as his nerves got the best of him. "I just thought, I'd do something nice for…for your first day back." He lied.

"Awww, Finn." Rachel gushed, walking up to him, putting both hands on the side of his face as she kissed him gently. "Where's Mckinley?" she then asked.

"I put her to sleep a bit ago. She was tired." He lied once more. She wasn't as tired as she could have been, but he figured it was late enough for her to go to sleep anyway.

"What's this?" Rachel exclaimed, looking down at the salad. "You didn't..."

"I did." Finn finished, moving her chair out for her. "It's vegan too. I promise. I checked all the ingredients to make sure." He said.

"You don't have to eat vegan if you don't want too." Rachel said as she sat down.

Finn shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me, Rach." He said, as they began to eat.

Rachel began to talk about her evening and once she was finished she glanced up at him, taking another bite of her salad. "What'd you do?"

Finn looked up at her, nervously. "I uh…well, I uh I applied for jobs and stuff…" he said.

Rachel nodded. "How did that go?"

Finn shrugged. "I think…I think well. Hopefully I hear back from somewhere, anywhere." He said. "I also looked into schools around here and I have a few places in mind." His voice was shaking as he spoke.

"What's wrong?" Rachel said, laughing at him.

Finn took a deep breath. "Well I uh…I also bought you something when you were at your show." He said.

"You did?" Rachel exclaimed. "Why? You don't have to do that."

"I wanted too." He said, reaching for her hand. "Do you know how much I love you?" he asked her then, looking into her eyes.

Rachel could feel the heat in her cheeks as she blushed. "I know." She said quietly.

Finn nodded, standing instantly, not letting go of her hand.

Just then hit Rachel. She went to open her mouth, but no words came out as he got down on one knee. "Finn…Oh my God…" she said suddenly feeling out of breath. She pulled her hand away from Finn's as she covered her mouth quickly as he pulled out the tiny box. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes.

"Rachel Barbra Berry…" Finn said, looking up at her before opening the box. "Will you marry me?" he asked.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Hey guys! Thank you so much for enjoying this story and all the positive reviews. It means so much to me! Unfortunately, this is the last chapter! Well, I lied. There's one more but it's almost sort of like an epilogue in a way. I'm actually sort of sad in a way! I don't want to overdo it and keep going, but I also am not sure where to go with this. It just has to end here (besides the epilogue) Enjoy though!

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><p>Rachel smiled excitedly, looking down at the ring he had gotten her. She was in shock, and awe. She had Hoped this day would come eventually, however, she was never in a rush for it. She was definitely surprised as tears filled her eyes. She jumped out of her seat forcing him to stand as well.<p>

She wrapped her arms around him quickly, squeezing him as tight as she could.

He returned the gesture, laughing nervously.

"Oh wait, oh my God! Yes! Yes!" she cried finally giving him the answer he was dying to hear.

"Seriously?" He said in shock, pulling away to look down at her.

She nodded and laughed as she wiped her eyes. "Well yeah!" she said excitedly.

He nervously put the ring on her finger as she looked down at it. "Oh my goodness, it's so beautiful." She said quietly, wiping her eyes once more, sniffing slightly.

Finn nodded. "Mckinley helped me pick it out."

"Well our daughter has lovely taste." She said quietly, before laughing moving her fingers around looking at it. "We're…we're getting married." She said quietly, looking up at him.

He smiled, but no words escaped his mouth. He didn't know what people did after things like this happened, but his heart was beating too quickly and his head was spinning too much to even care. In the near future, he would be married, the girl he's always been in love with as his wife. Just having that sense of security made him the happiest guy alive.

"When?" she then asked.

Finn looked taken aback. "What do you mean when?"

"Do you have a date?" Rachel asked then, her tiny hands resting on his sides.

Finn shook his head. "Don't we both discuss that sometime?" he asked.

Rachel shrugged. "I'm not sure."

Finn laughed. "I don't either."

Rachel tried not to laugh, but soon failed; falling into a fit of giggles herself. "We'll figure it out. Should we go talk to a wedding planner?" she asked.

Finn shrugged before nodding. "If you want." He said, pulling her closer to him, kissing the top of her head. "I love you so much." He said quietly.

"I love you, too." He said quietly.

Rachel yawned. "I think I'm gonna go get ready for bed." She pulled away looking up at him.

Finn nodded. "Yeah, I'll uh…I'll clean up all of this."

Rachel smiled, before turning to walk away. He watched her as she left before turning, grabbing the bowls, blowing out the candles.

00000

The next day, Rachel woke up instantly lifting her hand to look at the ring. It really was the prettiest ring she had ever seen. She looked over at Finn before rolling over, resting her hands on his bare chest. "Finnnnnn" she whispered, kissing his lips gently. "Finn my handsome fiancé." She said, giggling quietly.

Finn's eyes opened slowly. "Rachel." He said tiredly, lifting his arms above his head as he stretched them. He rested his one arm around her tiny body, kissing her gently.

They made out gently for a few moments before Rachel spoke up. "I want to get married in the fall." She said quietly.

"Why the fall?" He asked between kisses.

"I think it's because that's when I first saw you." She said.

Finn's eyes squinted. "Like in school?"

Rachel nodded.

Finn smiled, before kissing her once more. "Whatever you want to do, babe."

Rachel kissed him once more deeply before sitting up. "I've got to go get Mckinley." She said before standing.

"I can get her." Finn said.

Rachel turned, shaking her head. "That's okay."

When Rachel entered Mckinley's room, she was still sleeping soundly. Her eyes however, opened when Rachel approached her bed. Rachel smiled instantly.

"Well hello sleeping beauty!" Rachel said as Mckinley smiled tiredly.

Once Mckinley was fully alert, Rachel took her from the bed. "Where's daddy?" Mckinley asked.

Rachel looked at the tiny girl in her arms. "You mean you don't want to see me?" she joked, pretending to sound hurt.

Mckinley laughed as Rachel brought her into their room. "There he is." She said, as they both approached Finn.

"Daddy!" Mckinley said happily as Finn sat up.

"She asked where you were." Rachel said to Finn who took the girl into his arms.

"Oh really? Daddy's little girl." Finn said, kissing the little girl's head.

Rachel nodded. "I'm going to make coffee." She said before smiling at them. She knew that if she didn't, she would want to go back to sleep at any moment.

0000

"I got the job." Finn said looking over at Rachel who began to laugh. It was one week later.

"That's so wonderful!" Rachel said happily, walking up to give him a gentle kiss.

Finn shrugged as he handed Mckinley a toy. "It's nothing big. I mean the pay is only minimum wage, but they're willing to work around school and Broadway." He said.

"It's not forever, babe. Besides you love music so what better place to work." Rachel said.

Finn nodded as Mckinley handed him a toy that began to sing about the colors. He glanced down at it, lost in his own thoughts. He would be starting his job at the East Village Music Store within the next week. It wasn't a terrible way to start the New Year. He was also all set up and ready to go at Manhattan Community College for the winter semester, two days a week. He only had a few years of schooling left, and come that spring he had plans to apply at New York University, wanting his Bachelor's degree from there. It was expensive, but there were loans, and living off of campus had made it dramatically cheaper. He was thankful also that Rachel was so understanding of all of this. It may be difficult for the time being, but it would pay off in the end.

0000

**May 2016**

"I found the perfect dress." Rachel said, as she walked in the door. Finn looked up from his textbook and notes.

"You did?" he asked.

Rachel nodded. "Of course I did! With the help of Samantha and Kurt, but I can't tell you about it. It's a surprise!" she said excitedly, walking up to the table where he was seated. "Whatcha doin?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Just some Music Theory stuff." He said, bringing his hands up to his chest, resting his hands on top of hers.

"How long have you been doing this?" she asked.

"Since I put Mckinley down for a nap, maybe about forty minutes." He explained.

"Don't over work yourself." She said.

Finn laughed. "This isn't over working at all. I might as well get it done while she's sleeping though." He replied. "I don't want to do it later and ignore her or you." He added quickly.

Rachel smiled as she kissed his cheek before walking to the kitchen.

Life was falling into place.


	10. Epilogue

**A/N: **Well, here it is! I never knew how bittersweet it would actually be to finish a story! It was such a cute story (in my opinion) and I'm actually proud of myself for being able to create something like this. My first complete fanfic story! Thank you all SO very much for liking it as well. I can't express that enough. I really am thankful. Thanks to you guys, I'll definitely be writing more stories :D

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><p><strong>July 4<strong>**th****, 2017.**

In a few months, it would be their first anniversary as husband and wife. Rachel couldn't believe how quickly time had gone by. It felt like only a few weeks ago, she was saying her "I do's" at the altar in front of all her friends and family. The ceremony was everything Rachel could've ever asked for, and more. They decided to have it back in Ohio, and it was a beautiful fall day that Saturday in September. They had both indoors and outdoors and the weather cooperated the entire day. It wasn't too warm or too cold. She would never forget it. The colors of the leaves on the trees as they fell, Mckinley jumping around in them in her little flower girl dress, and all of her closest friends from both New York and Ohio by her side. Despite her rough relationship with her birth mother, Shelby had even managed to come, Quinn's birth child and Shelby's adoptive child, Beth accompanied her. It was perfect. Everything about it, just perfect.

A few months previously, Finn had finished his college education at New York University. He had gotten a degree in business and music management and Rachel was so proud of him. She had invited everyone over to their apartment for a party for him, knowing he had a surprise to tell them all. A month later, he started working with Atlantic Records right there in New York City.

As for Rachel, she was still on Broadway. She couldn't picture herself anywhere else, though Finn had tried to convince her time and time again to record songs and sort of make it as a solo artist. Though Rachel loved the idea, she knew now wasn't the time. Broadway was the air that she breathed, and she knew the stage was where she should be in life at that time.

A month ago, they had moved out of their apartment in Manhattan, deciding to relocate to Brooklyn Heights. Not only was the townhouse slightly larger, it had more of a 'homely feel' that Rachel had been looking for. It also had an additional bedroom that her apartment lacked. In the upcoming fall, Mckinley would be starting school and Rachel had wanted her to be in a safer environment, and though she was safe back at the apartment, she had wanted Mckinley to be able to do things outdoors when she was older with other kids her age without Rachel having to worry. She would worry regardless, knowing there were no hundred percent safe areas anywhere around New York. Mckinley had loved the new townhouse they lived in; especially because Finn had let her pick out the colors she wanted for her new room and everything else in between. They had even managed to get her a 'big girl bed' as Finn had called it.

Today was the fourth of July, and the first time Rachel had invited people to see the house. It was also like a housewarming party in a way. Her dad's and Finn's parents had both came out to see, along with people from their jobs and friends they had met while in New York.

There were people everywhere and Mckinley was running around like crazy. "Mckinley, calm down dear." Rachel had said when Mckinley ran into her from behind.

"Sorry mommy." She said before running off once more with a younger girl around her age named Katie. Katie's mother, Samantha had worked with her at the theater. She was also the one who had helped her pick out her wedding dress.

Finn walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her from behind, his hands resting on her stomach. "How are you feeling?" he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek softly.

"I'm okay, Finn." Rachel smiled. In a few weeks the addition to their family would finally enter the world. She had gone through this before, but the second time around was no vacation either. She currently didn't work; her due date was at the end of the month on July the twenty-seventh. They didn't find out the sex of the baby this time around, wanting it to be a surprise. Finn had desperately wanted another girl, even though Rachel had joked time and time again about having to put up with three Rachel's. Little did Finn know that in a few weeks he would get his wish. Little Kasey would be born right on time, and healthier as ever. This time, Finn would be there with her, and Rachel couldn't imagine it any other way.

Mckinley had been excited about having a younger brother or sister.

"You know, you'll actually have to share your things sometimes though Mckinley." Rachel had told her before she went to sleep one evening.

"Some of those toys are for babies." Mckinley had told her. "I'm a big girl."

Rachel nodded in agreement. "You are!"

Now here she was, nine months pregnant trying to host a party alongside Finn. It was no walk in the park, and she was more exhausted than she would have been if she didn't have this baby inside of her. But she was Rachel Berry, she could do this. As people told her to sit left and right, she'd politely refuse saying she was fine. She really was fine.

Though Rachel was still a vegan, when she became pregnant the doctor told her it would probably be best if she cut that diet, opting for a vegetarian one or possibly not just for the time being. The thought of eating meat disgusted her, but every once in a while did she take small bites of it. Not today though. She was fine with her salad and vegetables she had taken from the tray. She sat next to Mckinley at the table on the back deck, who had a hot dog on her plate along with a few carrots and cherry tomatoes. They didn't have much of a backyard, but it sufficed.

Rachel cut it up as Mckinley talked to Katie, and Kurt. Kurt had never failed when it came to kids. He had the heart of a kid anyway, so when he spoke to Mckinley she would fall into a fit of hysterics, laughing hard at everything he would say. The two possessed a special relationship, but Mckinley was like that with everyone. Rachel was so grateful for Mckinley. She knew of other parents who always said their kid would throw huge fits all the time, but Mckinley was the complete opposite. She was well behaved for the most part, and always had everyone around her smiling.

"Thank you, momma." Mckinley said politely after she was finished, grabbing a small piece of hot dog with her hands, bringing it to her mouth.

"You're welcome baby." Rachel said as she glanced over at Finn who was by the grill. He was talking but glanced over catching Rachel's eye. He smiled at her before bringing his full attention back to Burt who was speaking to him.

Rachel looked down, taking a small bite of her salad. Her life as it stood was almost too good to be true, and she couldn't be more thankful for that. Though she knew there would be tough days ahead, Rachel was certain their life from then on out would be just fine.


End file.
